


Decoding a Christmas Mystery: A Love Story

by Quinn73



Series: Plance Holiday Romance Series [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Beach Episode, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Established Relationship, F/M, Literal Sleeping Together, Post-Season/Series 08 Finale, Romance, VLD Secret Santa 2020, Voltron: Legendary Defender Season/Series 08 Fix-It, plance, shirtless Lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28003866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinn73/pseuds/Quinn73
Summary: During the Christmas holidays, Pidge decodes a secret message, learns what true love is, and comes to terms with the depth of feeling that she and Lance have for each other.This multichapter fic was written for the 2020 VLD Secret Santa Event as a gift, but in truth, it is a short novel I wrote as a gift to everyone in Plance fandom who loves fluff, mystery, humor, and good old-fashioned romance.Merry Christmas!
Relationships: Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt, Lance/Pidge | Katie Holt
Series: Plance Holiday Romance Series [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2066325
Comments: 50
Kudos: 20
Collections: Voltron Secret Santa





	1. December 26 Boxing Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nessajjewell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nessajjewell/gifts).



> This fic is a sequel to “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” which was written for the 2020 Plance Secret Santa Event as a gift. It takes place one year after that story.
> 
> A new chapter will be posted every day from December 26, 2020 until January 6, 2021.
> 
> The first chapter is merely a prelude to a fun, heartwarming story. No spoilers.

December 26: Boxing Day

It was the day after Christmas and Pidge could hardly believe that it had been nearly a year since she and Lance had started dating. When they sang together at the Garrison karaoke party on December 24 last year, Lance had kissed her under the mistletoe in front of everyone, which led to their first official date on New Year’s Eve. Over the next twelve months there were many more dates and countless sweet gestures of affection from Lance.

Pidge woke up early on Boxing Day, then spent several hours cleaning her little room at her parents’ house. She had thrown away a lot of old useless things, saved the important things that she wanted to keep, and then prepared to give the rest of it to charity.

Many of the things that she kept were reminders of how much her relationship with Lance had changed over the past year. 

Her Mercury Gameflux II collection had expanded due to Lance’s skill for tracking down the most obscure video game modules on the Internet, at pawn shops, and at flea markets, not to mention Pidge’s own knack for haggling with the vendors. During the winter and spring terms Lance had spent most of his weekends in Pidge’s room gaming when he wasn’t writing lesson plans or grading papers. She was glad that even though their relationship status had changed, their friendship still remained their strongest bond.

Pidge’s old calendar still had reminders of their planned weekend marathons of vintage science fiction and fantasy films and their infrequent sessions of Monsters and Mana with their friends. That wasn’t anything new, though the fact that Lance really pushed for Pike and Meklavar to fall in love during the game was a nice surprise. Coran, being the excellent games master that he was, made things very difficult for their characters, but Hunk, Shiro, Keith, and especially Allura cheered them on in every one of their hilarious romantic misadventures. One day Lance had surprised her with a pair of customized figurines of Pike and Meklavar, armed and ready for battle. She had them proudly displayed on a prominent place on her bookshelf.

When they started dating, Lance had brought his guitar over to her parents house more and more often. One day in March, he had brought her a ukulele as a surprise, and then he spent many weeks after that teaching her to play it. She knew that she didn’t play or sing as well as he did, but the ukulele was now one of her most treasured possessions, simply because he had given it to her. Pidge felt a little prickle of guilt because her long hours in the lab at the Garrison meant she was usually too tired to practice it as much as she should. She dusted its case and placed it carefully back on its shelf.

She tried to put her responsibilities as a technical sergeant above her trivial personal pursuits, but when Lance was around she was so distracted that she felt as if she had the IQ of one of the Garrison’s lab animals, much to her embarrassment, and her parents’ concern. They gave her a curfew, as if she were still a hormonal teenager with her first boyfriend.

Well, technically speaking, Lance was her first boyfriend, and she still didn’t know if she really understood exactly how relationships were supposed to work. She knew she wasn’t adept at understanding other people when she was younger, but ever since Lance befriended her when they were teenagers, she began trying very hard to develop her social skills. When they started dating, was the first man she had ever kissed or held hands with, and her parents made it very clear to him what dating their daughter would entail. Desperate for Sam and Colleen’s approval, Lance always had her home by ten when they spent an evening together, or he would have Pidge call home if they would be unexpectedly late for any reason. When other young women at the Garrison gossiped about what they had done in private with their boyfriends it made Pidge blush and wonder if there was something wrong with their relationship. If so many young women they knew were so...adventurous, why would Lance still want to date her? Why would the most handsome bachelor at the Galaxy Garrison want to spend so much time courting short, skinny, nerdy Katie Holt? What man wanted to date a woman who was far more intelligent than he was, who had suffered in the past from peer rejection and severe social awkwardness, and who had embarrassingly overprotective parents? She still didn’t understand it. 

After Pidge vacuumed and dusted her room, she boxed up Matt’s hand-me-downs along with the other old clothes she was giving to charity. Then she organized her jewelry chest, her fingers lingering upon the small box which once contained her first (and only) Valentine’s Day present. She kept it and the gift tag for sentimental reasons because the little box itself was always empty. She wore the necklace Lance had given her every day, taking it off only to bathe or sleep. The silver chain held a custom made heart-shaped pendant containing a rare gemstone from a distant planet that shifted from blue to green, depending on the lighting. It never appeared as one color or the other, but always as a sparkling blend of both hues. She touched it often, just to remind herself that it was real. 

On the bulletin board above her desk there were ticket stubs from the movies they had seen, concerts they had attended, and a playbill from her favorite date of all. For her birthday last April, Lance had taken her to see a revival of an old 20th century musical called The Phantom of the Opera, one which Pidge had not seen before, and though Lance expected her to swoon over the famous performer who sang the role of the villainous, charismatic Phantom, she did not. During Christine’s duet with Raoul at the end of Act 1, Pidge wept openly as the hero declared his love for the heroine and asked her to marry him. Pidge tried her best not to show her emotions in public, but when Lance took her hand in his, she saw that his watery eyes were glistening unashamedly. She didn’t think it was possible, but secretly she fell even more in love with him that day.

Pidge couldn’t listen to “All I Ask of You” without getting misty eyed after that.

On the walls of her room, Pidge had a collection of postcards from Cuba that Lance had sent her during the spring break and during the long summer vacations that he had spent at home visiting with his family, but this year he didn’t spend the whole summer working on his family’s farm or sunning himself on Varadero Beach. Lance surprised her by volunteering to teach a few remedial classes at the Garrison Academy. Then he spent the remainder of his time studying for his most difficult officer promotion test yet. Pidge was over at his apartment nearly every night helping him study.

On her desk was a framed photo of them together in full dress uniform at his promotion ceremony. That summer Lance had become the youngest senior officer at the Garrison, and when he was presented with the third gold stripe on the shoulder of his uniform, he didn’t brag or boast to his family or friends. He simply said that he could not have done it without his girlfriend, claiming that Pidge “made him want to become a better man.” Her eyes watered at the memory of that. 

She told him how proud she was of him that day, and he responded with one of the softest expressions she had ever seen from him right before he hugged her. 

In November, Lance didn’t go home to his family during the Thanksgiving break the way he usually did. Instead, he was over at the Holts’ residence every day. Her family was so accustomed to having him around that Colleen made a permanent extra place setting for him at the family dinner table.

Now, it was December 26, and Pidge had kept busy all day long so that she wouldn’t have to think about the ache in her heart, but ironically that was the only thing she could think about.

At this year’s Christmas Eve party, Pidge had given Lance the exquisite brown Italian leather jacket she had paid her great aunt to send over from Florence. It was cut in a Post World War III variant of an old mid-twentieth century aviator’s jacket, a masculine style that reminded her of the jacket worn by the fictional version of Lance on her favorite anime program, Defender of the Universe. (She thought that Lance’s animated counterpart was the handsomest of the Voltron pilots, and she actually started writing Internet fanfiction about him in her spare time, not that the real Lance needed to know about her cartoon crush. If he found out he would never stop teasing her about it.)

“This is just a little something I found for you, that I hoped you might like,” Lance began apologetically as he handed her the gift. 

“I’m sure I‘ll love it,” Pidge reassured him. 

She tore open the shiny green paper to reveal a very valuable near-mint copy of Killbot Phantasm 26, a video game which she had been wanting for years. She hugged the game to her chest, then hopped out of her seat to give him a kiss and a promise that she would wait to play the game with him when they saw each other again. 

Pidge did her best to conceal her dismay that they wouldn’t be spending Christmas Day together. Lance was going to be staying with his family in Cuba once again, and his flight left early the next morning. 

Pidge didn’t understand why her mother looked so disappointed when she opened her gift from Lance, but at the party she did notice the knowing glances exchanged between Nadia and Ina when she opened her present. They knew. They were there with Romelle when Pidge gave up her copy of that very same video game so Allura could go on her first (and only) disastrous date with Lance. Nadia and Ina had witnessed how Pidge had been willing to sacrifice her happiness for Lance’s own. She blushed at the memory of it, still ashamed of her past jealousy of Allura. 

Lance had taken Allura to meet his family on their first date, which was a big error in Lance’s judgement. Although he had a huge crush on the Altean princess at the time, Allura soon made it clear that she didn’t feel the same way about him. She had rejected him as gently as she could have, and miraculously they had somehow remained friends, though Allura didn’t know how depressed Lance had been after her rejection. He hid it from her with wisecracks, devotion to the team, and daredevil risk taking that had nearly gotten him killed once or twice. 

He hid the truth about his broken heart from everyone, including himself. But somehow Pidge could always see past his facade of flirtiness and false bravado. She knew it was the armor he wore nearly all the time, the persona he used as a shield to protect him from ridicule for his sentimental nature. When Allura broke his heart, there was a crack in that protective shield that caused it to shatter, so he abandoned it. He no longer preened in front of any female who would take notice of him. He no longer bragged about his heroics or exaggerated his skills as a warrior. He stopped flirting with random girls altogether, and he became focused on his piloting, his sharpshooting, and his friendships with Hunk and with her. 

And then the war had come to an end. They all tried to pick up the pieces of their broken lives and leave the horrors they had witnessed in the past. Pidge devoted her time to her important work at the Garrison and didn’t dare hope for more than friendship from Lance. She treasured every little moment he spent with her, secretly thrilled by even the smallest gesture of affection from him. 

A few years had passed since then, and Pidge finally had what she wanted, both the precious video game and the man she had always loved, so why wasn’t she completely happy?

It was the day after Christmas, and the more she thought about her gift, the more it bothered her. She had met Lance’s family of course, but he had never invited her to his parent’s home. Her heart sunk when she accidentally overheard her own parents’ whispered conversation the night before. They were talking about her and Lance, but she couldn’t hear every word they were saying. Her mother said something about a video game not being an appropriate gift for a girlfriend after a year of dating, and when her father agreed, Pidge decided that she had heard enough. She locked herself in her room that night and muffled her convulsive sobs by crying into her pillow. She didn’t want her parents to know that she had heard them. 

In the morning, Pidge tried to keep busy, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She missed Lance so much she felt as if there was a great black hole in her heart that was ready to swallow up any bright rays of happiness she gleaned from reminiscing. She began to wonder if she was going mad when the tears began to fall again. She collapsed on the bed in a puddle of self-doubt and misery. 

Pidge was soon dehydrated from crying, and hungry from skipping breakfast that morning. In spite of all that, she was planning to avoid going downstairs for lunch when she heard her mother calling her. 

“You have a package, dear. It just arrived by drone delivery,” her mother explained. 

“I’ll be right down, Mom.”

She thought she had received all of her Christmas presents from her friends and relatives, both from loved ones near and far away, but apparently not. The drone had delivered a little package that was concealed by a plain brown wrapper. When Pidge removed the plain paper, a small box wrapped in shiny green foil was revealed. Inside the little box was an ornament sculpted to resemble a small but plump winged bird nesting in a fruit tree. A pidgeon?! Well, her nickname was Pidge. No, not a pidgeon. A partridge. It was a partridge in a pear tree. There was no note or return address, only a small card with the number 23 printed in black ink on it.

Colleen remarked that the design was probably a reference to some ancient carol. Pidge hung the ornament up on the Holts’ Christmas tree. She threw away the wrappings, but she kept the card. Why the number 23? Who sent it, and what could it possibly mean? 

She took out her phone and photographed the ornament and the card with the number 23 on it. There was a mystery to be solved here, she realized, and this was the first clue.


	2. December 27 A Mother’s Wisdom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge goes shopping with Colleen and has an important conversation with her mother.

Pidge had spent most of her day with her mother, who had insisted that they go clothes shopping at the after Christmas clearance sales. As usual, Pidge chose the most practical outfits that she could find, but Colleen stopped her, insisting that she rethink her choices and try on more feminine clothes: flowered blouses, form-fitting sweaters, pencil skirts, colorful summer dresses, and pretty, lacy underthings that she normally wouldn’t have considered buying.

“Mom, why do I have to wear this?” Pidge was perfectly content with wearing her usual colorful cotton underpants with a comfortable sports bra. “There’s no point to this fancy stuff that no one will ever see but me.”

“They define your figure. Your clothes will look better if you wear the right foundation garments, and besides, how can you know that no one will ever see them? A certain young man might appreciate it if you—“

“Mom!” Pidge looked away so that Colleen couldn’t see how embarrassed she was. She knew that her mother was alluding to Pidge having a more intimate relationship with Lance someday, and the notion of that kind of intimacy actually frightened her quite a bit. The dread that it might never happen frightened her even more. 

Lance had always been so respectful when it came to such personal matters that Pidge began to wonder if he would ever take their relationship to the next level. The fact that her parents were so strict didn’t make it easy for him. Although she secretly loved the fact that he always treated her like a lady, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was just saying that he was waiting to consummate their relationship because he just didn’t find her attractive in that way. Sometimes she felt as if he thought of her as more of a little sister than a girlfriend, and maybe that was the proof that it’s possible to love someone and even be in love with someone without wanting anything more than their attention, affection, and respect. 

Maybe it was only a matter of time before he broke up with her because he still thought of her as his best friend, the flat-chested, skinny tomboy who could never be desirable adult woman. Pidge’s vision blurred as she followed her mother around the department store. 

She knew that Lance had proposed to Allura on their first date, which was an impulsive, immature thing to have done, but it did illustrate that he was serious about Allura from the beginning. The princess also had the privilege of being formally introduced to Lance’s entire family that evening. Pidge couldn’t stop obsessing over the fact that she hadn’t been given the honor of being invited to the home of Lance’s family after almost a year of their courtship. She didn’t want to think about what this could mean, but her self-doubt told her that Lance didn’t love her the way he loved Allura and never would.

Maybe he went home to Cuba for Christmas to forget about her. For all she knew, he might be ogling scantily clad buxom women at Varadero Beach at this very moment or making a plan to quietly break up with her while still remaining friends. 

He wouldn’t want to give up on their friendship and all of the fun times that went with it, would he? She didn’t want to think about movie night, or gaming night, or playing Monsters and Mana without him being a part of it. She remembered how much he wanted to role-play Pike falling in love with Meklavar in the game, so maybe that was evidence that she was overreacting to the whole situation. She touched the blue and green heart-shaped pendant at her throat, reminding herself of what it meant.

“Katie? What’s on your mind, sweetie? You look upset about something.”

“I’m fine, Mom. It’s nothing,” Pidge lied. Colleen raised a skeptical eyebrow at her daughter but didn’t question her any further. They continued shopping.

“Oh, wouldn’t this shirt look nice on your father?” Colleen asked as they browsed the men’s department. As they looked for her father’s size, Pidge’s mind wandered. She imagined Lance modeling some of the fashions that were intended for younger men, and for a moment she was lost in a fantasy of shopping for him as a wife would do, picking out shirts and sweaters that would bring out the color of his eyes...

“What do you think of the blue one, dear?” 

“Blue isn’t Dad’s color,” she replied curtly.

They had lunch in a small deli-style cafe, and Colleen looked at her daughter with concern. “What’s troubling you?”

“Nothing. I’m fine, Mom.” She looked away.

“It’s Lance, isn’t it?” Her mother knew. Pidge couldn’t ever hide anything from Colleen, who always found out sooner or later. “You miss him.”

“Yes,” Pidge admitted, staring down at her soup and sandwich platter. She sighed.

“And that gift he gave you—“ Colleen began.

“Mom, you don’t understand about the video game.”

“It looked like it was second hand—“

“It’s a very rare game, and in near-mint condition.”

“You two have been dating a year, though. That’s hardly the type of gift a young man should be giving his girlfriend after being in a relationship for so long. It’s not very romantic.” 

Pidge’s eyes began to water. “You don’t understand, Mom.”

Colleen reached into her purse, and then handed Pidge a tissue. “Then help me to.”

Pidge wiped her eyes and sniffled, then began her story. “Remember when we finally got back to Earth and you grounded me for running away from home to find Dad and Matt?”

Her mother nodded. 

“Lance had a crush on Allura almost as long as I had a crush on him. He had finally worked up the nerve to ask her out on a date.”

“Yes, I remember. Even though you were grounded, I allowed you to go shopping with Nadia, Ina, Allura, and Romelle because I know how much you hate shopping,” Colleen said with a little laugh.

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Well, I told you about the first time we went to the space mall, didn’t I?” 

Colleen nodded. “Lance helped you get the money you needed to buy the video gaming system by wading in a wishing fountain to gather coins, isn’t that right?”

Pidge nodded. “We managed to buy the Mercury Gameflux II system and Killbot Phantasm 1 with the money, and we played it together for months when we were in space. It was a reminder of home, and it brought us closer together. When Lance went to all that trouble to get the money for me, it solidified our friendship. What he did for me meant everything.” Pidge wiped her eyes again. “It meant more to me than he realized at the time.”

“Of course, dear. Go on.”

“He and Hunk are the first close friends I’ve ever had,” Pidge admitted. She finished her soup and sniffled again. “When I went shopping with Allura and the other girls, we tried to find her a new dress so she could go on a date with Lance. Every outfit she tried on was awful, Mom. But then she found this really pretty dress and didn’t have a way to pay for it, so I gave up my copy of Killbot Phantasm 26.” She took a bite of her sandwich. 

“Your copy?” her mother asked as Pidge chewed and swallowed.

“I found it at the mall that day. I had to barter for it with an autograph signing. That game is really rare and valuable, but I just gave it up, just like that.” She snapped her fingers. “I’m an idiot,” Pidge said forlornly. 

“That was a selfless thing you did for Allura that day. I’m proud of you, sweetheart,” Colleen said softly.

“I didn’t just do it for her. I did it for Lance. I knew—“ Pidge started crying again. “I knew if they were dating he wouldn’t have time to play video games with me anymore.” Another tear trickled down her cheek, and she angrily wiped it away. “I thought he would be happy with her, and I just wanted him to be happy more than anything. I didn’t know that Hunk and Romelle had talked the two of them into it. I didn’t know that Allura didn’t feel the same way about him. I didn’t know she would break his heart. Lance was so depressed after that. He hid it from everyone, but I knew.” Pidge sniffled and wiped her face with her napkin. “I just wanted him to be happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for him.” Pidge’s voice cracked and she closed her eyes, hoping that the flow of tears would stop.

“Katie,” her mother began. “Lance was very immature then. He was just a high school boy with a crush.”

“His feelings for her were real, Mom. Just as real as what I feel—what I’ve always felt for him.” Pidge admitted. 

“You had a school girl’s crush on him when you two were cadets. That’s not really love. That’s infatuation.”

“You don’t understand, Mom. You never understand! You—“

“Lower your voice this instant, young lady,” Colleen said sternly.

“I’m sorry,” Pidge replied softly. “But what I feel for him is real. It’s always been real.”

“Darling, you probably won’t like what I have to say, but I don’t think it truly became real until you were willing to give up what you were clinging to,” Colleen said gently. “A wise man once said that true love begins when nothing is looked for in return.” 

Pidge stopped crying and looked up at her mother with a puzzled expression. 

“You were willing to give up something you desperately wanted in exchange for his happiness. You wanted his happiness more than your own. That’s what love really is sometimes. It’s sacrifice.”

There was a long silence as Pidge considered the meaning of her mother’s words. Then she folded her arms and looked into her mother’s eyes which were so very much like her own. “Now you get it, don’t you see, Mom? That wasn’t just any old video game that Lance bought me for Christmas. It was Killbot Phantasm 26. He found what I gave up for him and he brought it back to me.”

“I see. I think I understand now,” Colleen said simply. “I’m sorry if I misjudged your boyfriend, then.”

“Thank you,” Pidge replied. She was calm after that.

They returned home that afternoon with their bargains in several shopping bags.

Sam teased them about buying up everything in the mall. 

“You know how Mom gets when there’s a sale on. There’s just no stopping her, Dad.”

They were relaxing in the living room when Sam brought them the day’s mail. 

“Katie, you received another mysterious package today.”

Pidge tore open the box and unwrapped a beautifully sculpted ceramic figurine of two turtle doves accompanied by a little leaflet that explained how the turtle dove was a symbol of innocence, purity, and enduring love. 

Pidge felt her face heat up when she read those words. She was reminded once more that Lance had insisted that they should wait until the time was right to consummate their love for each other. Perhaps Lance was just being a hopeless romantic about the whole thing. 

The two turtle doves were nestled together, as if settling down for a winter’s nap, and Pidge remembered all the times she and Lance had innocently fallen asleep together when staying up late to play video games or to watch movies. 

Pidge took the little sculpture and her new clothes up to her room, and decided to display the turtle doves on her desk near all of her other sentimental mementos.

In addition to the leaflet there was a small card with a black number 6 written on it. This was another part of the mystery to be solved. She took a quick photo of the ceramic figurine and the card with the number 6 on it—the second clue. What could it mean?

That evening Pidge was determined to put the finishing touches on the new artificial intelligence program she had been developing for Garrison Tech, so she tried to keep her mind focused on that, but to no avail. She was completely distracted by her musings on the symbolic meaning of the two turtle doves and how much they reminded her of herself and Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the story Colleen Holt shares words of wisdom with her daughter, and it’s one of my favorite quotes: “True love begins when nothing is looked for in return.”— Antoine de Saint-Exupery.


	3. December 28 A Message from Cuba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge receives a delightful video message from Lance and along with it, another clue to the mystery that she is trying to solve.

Pidge’s e-mail alert chimed when she was busy coding that Sunday afternoon. She saved her work, then opened another window to read the message. Lance had sent her a video message from his family’s home. Excitedly, she pressed play.

He was wearing his new jacket with a blue shirt underneath it, and her heart began to beat faster. Did he know about her secret obsession with Defender of the Universe Lance? He was wearing his hair a bit longer than usual these days, and she had to admit, when he wore that brown leather jacket he greatly resembled his animated counterpart. 

In the video, Lance was standing in front of the chicken yard on his family’s farm. He picked up a guitar that was leaning against a fence post, and strummed a few bars of an introduction. She recognized the chord progression immediately. He was playing their song! He began to sing.

Maybe it's much too early in the game  
Aah, but I thought I'd ask you just the same  
What are you doing New Year's  
New Year's Eve?

Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight  
When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night  
Welcoming in the New Year  
New Year's Eve

Maybe I'm crazy to suppose  
I'd ever be the one you chose  
Out of a thousand invitations  
You received

Aah, but in case I stand one little chance  
Here comes the jackpot question in advance  
What are you doing New Year's  
New Year's Eve?

During the performance, three of the chickens strutted into view and clucked along with the song. Pidge giggled. She recognized the birds as Rachel’s prized French hens, which had won her an award in an international poultry competition several months before. Lance had sent her a news article about it at the time. Between the random clucking and Lance’s overly flirty mugging for the camera, Pidge couldn’t stop giggling. Her cheeks were soon damp with tears of mirth and happiness.

They had sung that song together as a duet last year at the Garrison’s karaoke Christmas Eve party, and Lance had kissed her for the first time right after that. He dared to kiss her under the mistletoe while they were still on the stage, right in front of her family, the other Paladins, and all of her other friends, not to mention all of the various military dignitaries who were at the party. Her heart soared at the memory of it. 

Later, after an evening of teasing and congratulating from their loved ones, which was followed by a light supper, they finally had a moment to themselves. The hour was late, the party attendees were departing, and they had the dance floor all to themselves. 

“So, what are you doing New Year’s Eve?” He had asked while they were swaying to the soft music. 

She smiled at him. She knew what he was doing. He was finally asking her out on a proper date. 

“Well, it looks like I’ll be spending New Year’s Eve with the man that I love,” she blurted out. She really had no idea how to be subtle about how she felt about him and hoped that she hadn’t said too much too soon. 

She never forgot the look of pure, unbridled joy on his face when she said those words.

He had kissed her for the second time right after that. 

Pidge closed her eyes to savor the memory of Lance’s arms embracing her and the sensation of his lips pressed against hers. 

The beautiful memory faded away as she realized she had missed the end of the video because of her daydreaming. She rewound it.

“So what are you doing New Year’s Eve?” Lance had asked hopefully at the end of the recording. 

“Uncle Lance?” That was Silvio’s voice from off camera. “Don’t forget the card.”

“Oh, right!” Lance reached into his pocket and held up a little card with the number 12 printed in blue ink on it. It must be some kind of code that he meant for her to break, but there wasn’t enough data to do that just yet. Rachel appeared on camera along with Veronica, who was helping her gather up the three pure-bred hens. Lance’s sisters were placing the birds back in their custom built chicken coop. Smiling, Veronica waved to Pidge before darting off camera, followed by her sister, who had just made rabbit ears behind her brother ‘s head, then mouthed the words “He loves you” while pointing at him behind his back. Lance was still grinning at the camera, oblivious to what his sisters were doing, just looking hopeful that Pidge would soon send him her response to his question.

Before the screen went dark, Lance’s little niece, Nadia, ran out to stand in front of her uncle. She was holding up a hand-lettered sign that read “1 Cor 13:13.” 

Pidge jotted down the number 12 and 1 Cor 13:13 on the notepad on her desk. She had no idea about the 12, but Nadia’s sign was clearly a Biblical reference. 

Although she could have gone downstairs to look up the passage in the ancient family Bible in her father’s study, Pidge saved time by finding it online. In moments, Pidge had found the scripture quote with a search engine. Her lips parted when she read the words that appeared on her screen.

1 Corinthians 13:13 

“Right now three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

It was a beautiful quote, and she teared up a little when she read it. Was Lance trying to tell her once more that he loved her? She wanted to say it back to him immediately, but then she realized that if he took the trouble to make such an adorable video for her, then she would have to take the time to do the same for him.

She spent nearly and hour researching the symbolism of the number 12 and the hidden meaning in certain old song lyrics. A partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three French hens...

Then she found it. “In the Twelve Days of Christmas,” the article stated, “the three French hens were thought to be symbolic of the three theological virtues, Faith, Hope, and Love...”

Well, she had solved one part of the mystery. Rachel had named her award-winning hens Fe, Esperanza, and Amor.

Pidge immediately began planning a creative way to respond to Lance’s video.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are many wonderful renditions of “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” on YouTube. There’s an especially cute duet version sung by Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt which inspired my fic for the 2020 Plance Secret Santa Event. 
> 
> I also recommend listening to the jazz rendition by Postmodern Jukebox.


	4. December 29 The Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An adorable, flirty Pidge, more videos, and another clue to the mystery...

Pidge slept late the morning of December 29. She had spent the previous afternoon practicing the ukulele, and that same evening, when her parents were preoccupied with watching a holiday movie marathon downstairs with Matt, Pidge had locked herself in her room with Bae Bae.

Pidge had decided that the lyrics to the song that she and Lance had considered to be their own special song needed a bit of a rewrite. When the new words were completed, Pidge rummaged through her closet and found the perfect costume: the green jumpsuit, white scarf, and green headband that she had bartered for the day she gave up her original copy of Killbot Phantasm 26 so that Allura could trade it for a pretty dress. Her hair was longer now and her figure had filled out somewhat since then. The jumpsuit now accentuated rather than disguised her slight curves. She curled the ends of her long locks, applied a bit of glamorous holiday makeup and tied the white scarf stylishly at her throat. She painted her fingernails green to match her outfit, and then she decided to replace “Pidge’s” plain green headband with the shiny green one she wore to the Christmas party last year. Lance would remember it. She was wearing it the night he kissed her for the very first time. 

Bae Bae was lying on Pidge’s bed, wearing the hand-lettered sign for her little cameo appearance in the video. Everything was ready. Pidge sat with her instrument in her lap in front of her computer’s webcam and then pressed record. She strummed her little ukulele and then began to sing.

Maybe it's not too early in the game  
Aah, but I thought I'd tell you just the same  
I know what I’m doing New Year's  
New Year's Eve.

I hope your arms will hold me good and tight  
When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night  
Welcoming in the New Year  
New Year's Eve.

Maybe I'm crazy to suppose  
I'd ever be the one you chose  
When we’re apart I can’t stop thinking  
I miss you.

Aah, but in case you’re hoping for romance  
Here comes the answer: I’ll give you a chance.  
I know what I’m doing New Year's  
New Year's Eve. 

At the end of the song, Pidge set down her ukulele and bent her fingers in the shape of a little heart under her chin while giving him a dazzling smile.

She signed off by saying, “I really hope I can spend New Year’s Eve with the man that I love.”

Right on cue, Bae Bae sat up and revealed the sign that was hanging around her neck. It read, “What do all of those numbers mean?” Bae Bae’s tongue was lolling and she wagged her tail happily as Pidge turned off the camera.

Pidge sent Lance the video before taking a shower and going to bed that night. She had forgotten to eat supper, but she was so proud of her handiwork that she didn’t notice her hunger until the next morning. 

She checked her e-mail as soon as she was out of bed. Of course, there was a message from Lance. It was mostly smilie and heart eyes emojis, and Lance gushing about how good she looked in the video, and how clever her new lyrics are, and how he had her performance of the song on repeat on his phone ever since he first listened to it. Pidge felt giddy when she read all of this. There was an animated invitation with a detailed vacation itinerary along with two other attachments to the e-mail. First was a video of the grey parrot, the white cockatiel, and the two colorful parakeets that his mother owned along with another numbered card that was in view. It was a second number 12 sign printed in blue ink that was hanging from the blue parakeet’s perch. The green parakeet chirped happily as the cockatiel kept whistling the beginning of familiar tune, which sounded like the opening bars of “The Twelve Days Of Christmas.” The blue parakeet wolf-whistled at her a few times while the grey parrot kept repeating, “Hey, pretty lady!” over and over. Perhaps the birds had learned their flirting techniques from Lance, which was why they were so obvious about it. She giggled at that thought of Lance teaching his mother’s pet birds to flirt.

“Of course, he sent me a video of four calling birds,” Pidge said to herself. “More like catcalling birds,” she corrected herself.

The other attachment was link to an airline ticket to the Havana airport. 

Pidge ran downstairs to tell her parents the news. She was going to start packing her bags immediately, but her mother insisted that she eat a good breakfast first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As mentioned in the previous chapter, there are many wonderful renditions of “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” on YouTube. None of them feature Pidge’s version of the lyrics though. That was all my invention.


	5. December 30 Havana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a flight to Cuba, there’s a happy reunion between Pidge and Lance, and a very important clue is revealed that might be the key to unlocking the mystery.

During the flight to Havana, Pidge finally had some time to herself to consider the mysterious numbers that Lance had been sending her every day since December 26. So far the sequence was 23, 6, 12, 12. She thought about the elements of the periodic table and their atomic numbers. V, C, Mg, Mg. Vanadium, Carbon, Magnesium, then Magnesium again. What could this mean? It made no sense to her. Lance was not likely to send her a chemical formula for something.

Perhaps it was some sort of code. It could be a simple substitution code in which numbers replace letters to spell a message: 23-6-12-12 might be a word. Assuming it was a word in English, it would be a word in which the last two letters were identical. On her laptop, Pidge had made a program that calculated the most frequent bigrams in the English language and noted that top results were LL, SS, EE, OO, and TT, but there were also 15 other possibilities. If the word ended with LL, which was the most common English bigram, there were at least 65 four-letter words that the numbers might represent. Pidge massaged her temples. She definitely needed more data if she were going to crack this code.

Her plane landed, and when she was finally able to gather up laptop bag and her carry-on luggage, she followed the other passengers to the baggage claim carousels. It was at times like this she didn’t like being short. She was having a hard time seeing through the massive crowds of holiday travelers to find her large checked bag. When she finally found it, she realized that there would be a multitude of people at the nearby meeting area as well. She was once again thankful that Lance was tall.

As Pidge dragged her stacked luggage through the crowd, she scanned the meeting area for a familiar face. 

There he was, holding a large sign and grinning broadly as he called her name over and over. “Pidge! Pidge! I’m over here!”

The sign he was holding said, “All I Want for Christmas Is...” above a beautiful photo of her that he had taken at the Garrison Christmas Eve party last year. Underneath her photo was the number sequence 25-10-21. She grinned happily at him. He had given her another clue! If 25-10-21 was the word “you” then she knew for certain how to decode three of the twenty-six numbers that were probably substitutions for letters of the alphabet, but she would have to think about that later because at that moment Lance was threading his way through the crowd to envelop her in a warm embrace. He dropped his poster in order to pick her up and spin her around. 

“Pidge!” he exclaimed. “I missed you so much!” 

People were staring as he lowered her to the ground and kissed her passionately. She didn’t mind though. The code-breaking possibilities that she had been mentally processing were suddenly scrambled into a imaginary pile of random integers and letters as she kissed him back with an intensity that surprised them both. She was left breathless, and he was a blushing, grinning mess when she finally broke off the kiss. When Pidge finally caught her breath, she told Lance that she missed him too. He hugged her once more, then handed her the poster he dropped. Lance held her right hand with his left and pulled her luggage along with his other hand, chatting away about how much she would enjoy Cuba and how much his family was looking forward to her visit. She felt weightless as she floated happily through the airport alongside him until they reached the parking garage. Lance had borrowed his father’s old blue pick-up truck. He loaded her baggage into the truck, then opened the passenger’s side door for her. He grabbed her waist and gave her a little boost up to the passenger’s seat as she climbed into the cab. 

“Such a gentleman,” she said with a smile. 

“What can I say? My parents raised me right.” He winked at her. Even though the weather was warm enough that he could have taken it off, Pidge made note of the fact that once again Lance was wearing the leather jacket she gave him for Christmas, and it looked amazing on him. She leaned down, caressed his handsome face, and gave him another little kiss before he closed the passenger side door. 

“Don’t forget to fasten your seatbelt. I don’t want you falling out.”

“Ha-ha,” she said sarcastically, remembering how he always insisted that she wear her safety belt when they were in the flight simulator at the Garrison. Even when they were cadets he always looked out for her.

Smiling to himself, Lance hauled himself up into the driver’s seat and donned a pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses before he started the engine and drove them out onto a crowded boulevard. 

“It’s more than an hour’s drive to my parents’ house. Mom’s cooking a big supper, but we won’t be eating until after seven. Have you had lunch yet?”

“No, I just had a snack onboard the plane. It wasn’t much.”

“We should stop for lunch then. I know of a great little place near here.”

As they drove through the city she noticed the billboards advertising the first of the “Legendary Defenders” films, which would likely be this holiday season’s biggest movie blockbuster. The restaurant Lance picked was right across the street from a large movie theater, which had a huge holographic display of the actors who were portraying the five Paladins of Voltron in the film. Each actor’s image was generated by holographic projectors encased in huge metallic yellow hoops. “Five Golden Rings,” Pidge mumbled to herself. Lance heard her. From the driver’s seat, he was giving her that sexy, lopsided grin that she could never resist. At least he didn’t wreck the truck the way he always crashed the simulator. She snickered at that thought.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Nothing.” 

Pidge had taken a photo of the poster and the holographic display advertising the new movie before Lance helped her step out of the truck’s elevated cab.

At the restaurant they were seated at a table near the window that gave them a great view of the theater. 

“I still can’t get over the fact that they cast that Jeremy Shadings guy as me in the movie. He’s not tall enough.”

“He’s cute though,” Pidge said after taking a sip of her fruit drink. “And he’s definitely got the comedic timing for the role.” 

Lance rolled his eyes. “But he’s not as handsome as me, is he?”

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous of a movie star,” Pidge teased.

“Nah. He has to kiss all of those starlets who are playing the weird alien chicks that he flirts with in the first movie.” Lance waggled his eyebrows at her. “I get to kiss you, so he should be jealous of me, not the other way around.”

Pidge smiled at the compliment. “I dunno. He’s supposed to end up with Beverly Taylor in the last movie. Isn’t she one of the prettiest actresses in Hollywood these days? The tabloids say she’s like a young Elizabeth Taylor in terms of beauty and talent.”

Lance shrugged. “She’s still not as pretty as you.”

Pidge blushed. “Well, she’s disguised as a boy in this one. The makeup department downplayed her looks for the first movie, at least until the big reveal.” 

“Yeah. I saw all the previews, which spoiled the whole movie by the way.”

“I saw them, too. But we lived it, so it’s already spoiled for us.”

“Did I really look that dumb when you admitted to me that you’re a girl?”

Pidge laughed at him. “Jeremy Shadings played that scene to perfection.”

Lance folded his arms and pouted at her. They ate in silence for a while, and then, when he noticed how Pidge was distracted by her mental calculations, he voiced the unspoken thought that had been worrying him.

“Did you figure out what the numbers mean yet?”

Pidge sat up straighter, looking a little surprised that he knew what she was thinking about.

“I’m working on it. You know me. I will probably crack the code before you complete your message.”

“Okay, but no spoilers,” said Lance. “I don’t want to know if you do. This is something really important.” He took her left hand in his right. “I want everything to be perfect.”

“Don’t worry, if it’s us, it will be,” she said, smiling and squeezing his fingers to reassure him.


	6. December 31 New Year’s Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge makes a startling discovery that she has to keep secret, and the romantic tension between Pidge and Lance escalates as she learns about many unusual Cuban New Year’s traditions.

Pidge was awakened by the sound of a soft knocking on the bedroom door. Her first sleepy thought was that she was still in her own bedroom at home, but when she opened her eyes and took in the unfamiliar surroundings of Lance’s childhood bedroom, she remembered that the single bed that she slept in was not her own. 

“Lance? Is that you?”

“Yeah. Pidge, can I come in?”

“Okay. What’s going on? The sun’s not up yet.”

Lance entered his bedroom, still wearing his pajamas. He had spent the night sleeping on a cot in his brother Marco’s room, allowing Pidge to have his old room all to herself. Secretly, she thought that was very sweet of him. She knew that old cot couldn’t have been very comfortable.

“I promised Rachel I would help her gather eggs this morning. I just came to get my clothes.”

“Well, turn on the light then. I need to get dressed, too.”

Lance flicked the switch and quietly closed the door.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Pidge hummed an affirmative as she rubbed sleep from her eyes and stretched. “I told Rachel I’d help out this morning, too, but you’ll have to teach me what to do. I’ve never done chores on a farm before.”

Last night, when Pidge unpacked her bags, she noticed that Lance had made space in his bureau and his closet for her clothes. He was searching his bureau for a change of underwear and a pair socks when Pidge got up to gather her own underthings. She noticed that Lance’s eyes widened when he saw her selection of fancy feminine undergarments of satin and lace as well as her more practical underthings in colorful cotton prints of hearts and flowers and—

“Unicorns?” He asked as he held them up. “One of the Galaxy Garrison’s most brilliant young scientists wears unicorn panties?” Lance thought this was hilarious. He held up another pair. “Mermaids too?”

“Give me those,” she yanked them away from him, and selected a bra to match them. “You have no room to criticize, Mr. Shark Boxers.”

Lance blushed, but couldn’t wipe the smirk off of his face.

“You can get dressed here. I’ll change in the bathroom,” she said, hoping to make the situation less awkward. Pidge quickly selected a pair of socks, jeans, a flowered button-down blouse, then darted into Lance’s bathroom. After using the facilities, brushing her teeth, and combing her hair, she began to get dressed. 

“Meet me downstairs in five minutes,” he said through the door.

“Okay.”

Pidge thought once again about the coded message as she sat on the edge of Lance’s bed and laced up her boots. 

If 25=Y, 10=O, and 21=U, and if the double twelves represented LL, then she had decoded two of the five vowels, and had two of the consonants. 23 probably stood for a consonant, which meant that the 6 was likely a vowel, which meant A, E, or an I. She flipped open her laptop and pulled up her list of four letter words that ended in LL, eliminating more than 20 of them that contained an O or a U, and then eliminated several more that were not commonly used words. Her mind raced through all the words that would make sense before the word “you” in a sentence. Of course! The answer was obvious. Her heart began to beat faster. The message was the beginning of a question. Lance had said it was about something “very important” yesterday...

“Pidge?” Lance startled her. He had been waiting more than five minutes. “Still trying to decode my message, huh?” He was casually leaning on the door frame, arms folded. He was wearing a checkered flannel shirt over a white T-shirt and blue jeans, looking very much like the farmboy that he had been before joining the Garrison.

She closed her laptop. “Maybe,” she said, smiling up at him.

“Rachel’s started without us.”

“We should go then.” Pidge stood on tiptoe to kiss her boyfriend good morning, then took his hand as they descended the staircase.

When they reached the chicken yard, Veronica and Rachel were almost done filling the egg baskets from the henhouse. That left the geese to Lance and Pidge. Geese were known to be bad tempered at times. Pidge hoped they wouldn’t attack her. She followed Lance as he walked to the side of the goose shed that faced a large pond. There was a narrow, water fowl sized door that opened onto a ramp. Lance unlatched the little door and cried, “Release the Quacken!” A gaggle of geese and several ducks waddled down the ramp, honking and quacking noisily as they exited their cozy little house. Pidge giggled at his pun. 

“The mother geese are still nesting,” he announced as she followed him around the shed to a human-sized door. They took up egg baskets and went inside. 

Six grey geese and one gander were still inside. Five of the females were snuggled into their nest boxes, but one stood behind the gander with four newly-hatched goslings surrounding her. 

“Oh, we missed the hatching!” Pidge cried.

“No, look. There’s one more,” Lance pointed to the smallest egg of the clutch. The little gosling was struggling to break free.

“Should we help her?”

“No, don’t go near her. Papa goose will attack. He’s very protective of his mate and babies.” The gander honked loudly to emphasize what Lance said. Pidge took one step closer to take a photo of the little family of geese and the big male hissed at her.

“I think that means, ‘Don’t you touch her!’ when he says it like that. Am I right?” Pidge gave him a knowing look. 

Lance grinned at her. “Hey, the males of some species are very protective, but I guess you already know that.” He blushed a little when he added, “You probably already know that geese mate for life, too.”

She nodded. “Some humans mate for life as well,” Pidge said, smiling at him with a shy but hopeful glance.

“This one does,” Lance murmured, turning away from her to reach for a strange looking platform that he took down from a high shelf. “This scanner is how we check for healthy eggs,” he explained. They spent several minutes gathering and examining the eggs, placing only a select few in the basket. “The fertilized ones will develop into goslings, so we put them back in the nesting boxes. Pidge kept eyeing the struggling hatchling. She had finally broken free of her egg and was waddling around with her siblings. 

“She’s a tiny little thing, but feisty. She’s so determined to break free and keep up with the others,” she observed.

Lance grinned. “I think I’ll name her Pidge then.” 

The goose and gander waddled out of the open door and headed towards the pond, their five babies following close behind. 

Pidge moved to collect the final egg for inspection and saw that a card with a black number 9 was hidden in the nesting box. “Six geese a-laying,” she said aloud. She took another photo.

“Have you figured it out yet?”

“I’m getting there,” she said, giving him a confident smile.

Lance smiled back at her with a glance filled with hope and admiration. 

At breakfast that morning, Mrs. McClain told Pidge that her mother had called their house after she had gone to bed. Pidge assured Maria that she would return the call right after breakfast. 

Lance told everyone about his plans to take Pidge into town that evening to go dancing and to watch the fireworks at the New Year’s festival. His sister-in-law, Lisa, who liked the idea, somehow managed to convince a reluctant Luis that this would be a great deal of fun for the children. Silvio and Nadia were simply thrilled by the prospect of being allowed to stay up past their bedtime for all the excitement. Veronica and Rachel began chattering about what dresses they would wear for the festival, and even Mrs. McClain’s eyes lit up at the prospect of getting out of the farmhouse for a bit of fun. 

Marco was the first to finish eating. He would be driving the pickup truck to market with the eggs and poultry that were to be sold. Mr. McClain and Luis were also leaving early to transport milk from the dairy to be pasteurized. Rachel and Veronica insisted on cleaning up the kitchen and dining room after breakfast, so that their mother could have some time to relax. And when Lance’s niece and nephew had gone outside to help their mother feed the chickens, Pidge left Lance alone with his mother in the parlor. She was aware that Maria wanted some time alone to visit with her son, and this was the perfect moment for Pidge to go upstairs to return her own mother’s phone call.

Once again she sat on Lance’s bed. She took out her phone and made the call.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mom.”

“How’s it going, sweetie?”

“Great. Lance picked me up from the airport right on time yesterday. He took me out to lunch, and then took me home to meet his family. I had a nice visit with all of them in the afternoon, and then we ate the amazing supper that Lance’s Mom cooked for us.”

“Is Lance still being all mysterious with those numbers? Your father and I think it must be some sort of coded message.”

“It is, Mom. And I have been getting closer to solving it. Lance said that if I break the code before he finishes sending it that he doesn’t want to know about it. He says that it’s really important and he wants everything to be perfect, whatever that means.”

“How’s he been behaving?”

“Like a perfect gentleman. He’s taking me to the New Year’s Festival tonight. There’s going to be music, dancing, and fireworks...”

“I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time, dear. So tell me, what are the sleeping arrangements over there?”

“Mother!”

“You’re away from home, staying at a young man’s house, and their rules might be different from ours, so—“

“Mom, if you must know, I slept in Lance’s bed last night.”

Colleen was silent for a long moment. “Oh,” she said softly, sounding as if she were in shock.

“Mom? Are you okay?”

“I hope you two were responsible. I do want to be a grandmother someday, but not just yet.”

“Mom, I said I slept in Lance’s bed. I didn’t say he was in it. He’s sharing a room with his brother Marco while I’m here.”

Colleen laughed nervously. Pidge didn’t know if her mother was relieved or disappointed. “Oh, of course. You did say he was being a perfect gentleman, after all.”

“Mom, I think he’s getting serious about...us.”

“Really? What makes you say that?” Her mother sounded eager to hear more.

“We were taking care of the geese this morning and he was talking about how they mate for life. I said that some humans do that too and he said, ‘This one does.’ He was talking about himself.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I really do hope that is true. Matt, and your father and I know how much you care about Lance. The last thing we’d want is for you to get your heart broken. He’s a good-looking young man and had quite a reputation in the past for being a big flirt. You know, in that new movie—-“

“That’s just a movie, Mom. You know the real Lance. You know what he’s actually like.”

Colleen sighed. “You’re right dear. It’s just that it took him so long to ask you out. You know, Matt’s still upset about the 50 GAC he lost to Hunk in that bet they made last year.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. All of her conversations with her mother seemed to be going this way lately. Colleen seemed to be very anxious about her relationship with Lance for some reason. 

When Pidge finally got off of the phone with her mother, she went back downstairs. Lance was alone in the parlor, talking on the phone with someone.

“I know, Tania. I know. Look, I can’t talk now. Pidge can’t know about this.” He paused, listening. 

“Great! Thank you so much!” He exclaimed. “No, of course not.” Another pause, then, “I love you too, Tania.”

When Pidge heard those words, she felt as if her entire world had imploded.

“Who were you talking to just now?” Pidge said in an icy tone, trying to conceal her jealousy.

“Pidge! Uh, how much did you hear?” Lance asked nervously.

“Enough. Look, I just heard you talking to a woman named Tania. You were saying that ‘Pidge can’t know about this’ and you just told her you loved her!” Pidge was furious. “What’s going on here?”

Lance looked terrified. “It’s not what you think. Please don’t jump to conclusions!”

“Not what I think? What am I supposed to think, then?” Pidge stared him with a furrowed brow and tears in her eyes.

“Pidge, Tania is my cousin. We’ve been close since I was little, and she’s helping me plan a surprise for you, okay? I told her not to call here because I was afraid you’d overhear the conversation and the surprise would be ruined. I swear that’s the truth. It’s not...what you were thinking.”

“But what’s really going on here, Lance? Why all the mystery? I mean the secret codes and symbolism? Why can’t you just come out and say it?” She moved closer to him and said in a softer voice. “Why can’t you just tell me how you really feel?”

Lance swallowed. “I am telling you, bit by bit. I’m really terrified, but you should know that I am working up the courage to ask you something very important.” He cupped her cheek and wiped one of her wayward tears away. “I love you, Katie, and I would never ever do anything to hurt you.” He said this with such sincerity that Pidge immediately felt a stab of guilt. How could she have ever doubted him?

“I’m sorry,” she said with her eyes downcast. “But what I heard sounded like—“

“I know. It’s just a misunderstanding. Come here.” He opened his arms and she allowed him to envelop her in his embrace. She pressed her tear-stained cheek against his chest as he stroked her hair. After a long silence, Pidge felt Lance kiss the top of her head. 

“I love you too, you know. I guess my greatest fear is losing you,” she admitted. “That’s why I got so upset.”

Lance chuckled. “You’re not going to lose me. You’re gonna be stuck with me for a very long time if all goes according to plan.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She pulled away to look up at him.

“You’ll know when you’ve cracked the code.” Lance smiled at her. He checked his watch. “I’ve got a fence to mend before lunch. I’d better get started.”

“Need any help?” 

“No. I’m helping my dad and Luis. We’ve done this loads of times.” 

“So you won’t be upset if I shut myself up in your room with my computer then?”

“I was kind of hoping you would. Your genius brain needs some undisturbed think time.” 

She smirked at him. “You know me so well. I’m going to crack that code.”

“I’m counting on that.” He gave her a genuine smile that was filled with warmth and admiration. Then he gave her a quick kiss goodbye before heading out to the pasture to find his father and brother.

Pidge went back upstairs to Lance’s room and took a moment to examine it all by daylight. The curtains, bedspread, and sheets were all in coordinating shades of blue. The walls of his room were covered with commemorative posters from the early days of the Garrison’s space explorations. His bookshelves will filled with books on aviation, aeronautics, astronomy, and Garrison history. She noticed that there were books about Medieval legends and stories of knights in shining armor, quite a few classic science fiction novels, and an even larger number of fantasy books. There were also a few impressive models of Garrison ships that Lance had built himself. The large bulletin board behind his desk displayed photos of the Paladins, his family, and she noticed, many of just the two of them that he had taken during their time in space and during their time on Earth since they had become a couple. She had seen the layout of his room from his webcam on video chat nights during the spring and summer breaks when he had gone home to visit his family, but it wasn’t the same as being there. She knew that there used to be a valuable collection of professional baseball memorabilia he had inherited from his great uncle proudly displayed on top of his bureau. Now there were only framed photos of her, including his favorite one of them together which was taken at last year’s Christmas party. 

Pidge sat at Lance’s desk and opened her laptop bag, reaching for a notepad instead of her computer. She took out her pen case and wrote:

23-6-12-12 25-10-21 9-  
__ __ L L Y O U __

All of the letters were in black ink except the number 12 which probably stood for the letter L. It had been the only number to appear in blue ink so far. Was the color significant? In the first video he had sent her, he was wearing a blue shirt, and in the second the video, the blue parakeet had wolf whistled at her. The cute little bird was a horrible flirt, just like Lance himself. Lance was the Blue Paladin before he flew Red Lion. The color blue must be significant, she thought. At the moment she was surrounded by it. Blue was the color she always associated with Lance. Yes, that’s it!

L-A-N-C-E. Those letters were the key to decoding the message. She wrote down the numbers 1-26 in a long column, then wrote the letters that stood for the numbers she had been given so far. 12=L. What if 13, 14, 15, and 16 stood for A, N, C, and E? She wrote that down, then starting with the number 1, she filled in the other missing letters of the alphabet in order. Her heart was racing. She had done it! 

1=B  
2 =D  
3 =F  
4 =G  
5 =H  
6 =I  
7 =J  
8 =K  
9 =M  
10 =O  
A11 =P  
12 =L  
13 =A  
14 =N  
15 =C  
16 =E  
17 =Q  
18 =R  
19 =S  
20 =T  
21 =U  
22 =V  
23 =W  
24 =X  
25 =Y  
26 =Z

So far the message 23-6-12-12 25-10-21 9- read as “WILL YOU M—“ Pidge covered her mouth to suppress an excited squeal of delight. The Twelve Days Of Christmas! There were six days left, so that meant there were six more numbers to decode. She hoped they would be 13, 18, 18, 25, 9, and 16. Then the message would read:

WILL YOU MARRY ME? 

She doodled her answer below the message: 25-16-19. But she couldn’t tell anyone. She couldn’t spoil his surprise. If the message was the one she expected, then he would propose on January 6. They would have to be back at the Garrison by then because Lance had to be ready to teach a new semester at the academy, and she had a project report to present at Garrison Tech. Her heart beat faster. Of course, he would propose at the place where they first met. She was so excited by what she had deduced that she wanted to tell someone, tell anyone what she had just discovered, but she knew Lance wouldn’t want anyone or anything to spoil the surprise. She would have to keep the secret until the time was right.

She bit her lower lip. The weather was going to be warm and humid tonight and there would be music and dancing at the festival. She had the perfect dress for the occasion, the shoes, jewelry, and stockings...where were they? She searched their shared underwear drawer. They weren’t there. What about the sock drawer? She found where the stockings had slipped under a pair of his rolled up socks. As she moved things aside to draw out her stockings, she felt it. She had discovered one particular pair of socks that concealed a small, hard object inside of them. It was a small, square box. Dare she open it? It was just the right size to be a ring box! She covered her mouth to silence another happy outburst. Don’t spoil the surprise, she told herself. She put it back in the drawer and closed it.

She heard the men’s voices downstairs. They were back so soon! She took deep breaths, hoping her heart rate would slow down eventually.

Don’t let him know that you know, she told herself. Play it cool. She hid the notepad in her laptop bag.

Mrs. McClain’s luncheon was incredible, as usual. She surmised that Lance must have a rapid metabolism to remain so thin if he ate this well all the time when he was growing up. Pidge cheerfully volunteered to clean the kitchen after the luncheon was over.

“But, Katie, you are a guest in this house,” Maria chided.

“I want to help,” Pidge explained, “and I was hoping you would share some of your recipes with me. You know what they say about the way to a man’s heart.”

Maria chuckled. “I think you already have my son’s heart, but making sure he’s well fed is a great way to keep it.”

“If what you’re saying is true, I should be dating Hunk, not Pidge,” Lance quipped.

“I’m going to get all of Hunk’s recipes too,” Pidge replied stiffly, “Then I won’t have any rivals for your affection.” Lance’s father and brothers laughed as Pidge followed Maria into the kitchen.

When they were done washing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen, and trading hilarious, embarrassing stories about Lance, Maria McClain had e-mailed Pidge several electronic files of recipes from her kitchen’s computer. She had definitely bonded with her future mother-in-law after the laughs they shared.

After a morning filled with chores, most of Lance’s family was ready for an afternoon nap. Pidge went back upstairs, hoping to lie down for a bit, only to discover that Lance was in his bedroom, stretched out comfortably under the covers of his own bed. 

“Oh! I was going to take a nap, but—“

“Come here,” he said sleepily. He slid over to the opposite side of the narrow bed. “There’s room for two.”

Pidge sat down and unlaced her boots, then took off her socks.

“You can get more comfortable than that.”

“Hmm?” She didn’t know what he meant. Then she noticed his work shirt and jeans on the floor. 

“I don’t need pants,” he mumbled into his pillow with a smile.

“Look, you’re not a merman, so I really hope you’re at least wearing boxers.”

Lance blushed. “Uh...Yeah. So, anyway, do you want to join me in a nap? You can borrow one of my old T-shirts to sleep in.”

Pidge found a particularly long dark blue T-shirt in his bureau that would fit her like an oversized nightshirt. She turned her back to him to remove her blouse, then quickly slipped his shirt over her head before taking off her jeans.

“Sexy,” he mumbled, smirking into his pillow. 

“You’d didn’t actually see anything,” she argued. 

“I saw London. I saw France. I saw Katie’s mermaid underpants,” he teased.

Pidge exhaled and rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No, you can’t leave right now. Don’t you know what time it is?”

She glanced at her watch. “Almost one-thirty?”

“No, it’s Snuggle Time,” he said in a deep voice. He leaned one elbow and winked at her.

“You know I only put up with you because you’re cute.”

“I know. And I want to snuggle with you because you’re adorable, not to mention soft. C’mere.”

Lance lifted the covers so that Pidge could lie next to him, then he covered them both. She laid her head upon his chest and then smiled as he enveloped her in a warm embrace. They had fallen asleep many times while watching movies at his apartment and at her parents house, but it was always on the couch, never in his bed or hers, and never in such a state of undress. 

“We can both be merpeople,” he later mumbled as he drifted off to sleep. “No pants.” 

Then, after several minutes of silent slumber, he murmured, “Aw, you’ve got cute little seashells.” 

Pidge had to smother her giggles. Even in his sleep he was a ridiculous flirt. She smiled, knowing that she was safe with him. In the last year, Lance had earned her trust. She would never have allowed herself to be so vulnerable with any other male though. 

When the alarm on Lance’s phone went off, Pidge realized that they had been napping for several hours. Lance stirred, reaching for his phone to turn off the alarm.

Pidge sat up. “We need to start getting ready for the festival.” 

“You can take a shower first,” he said sleepily. “Wake me when you’re done, okay?” Lance closed his eyes as Pidge got up to gather what she needed to get ready. He was asleep again by the time the water was running.

An hour later, Pidge placed a kiss on his forehead. “Wake up, Loverboy.” 

Lance let out a little scream when he opened his eyes and saw Pidge in her green and gold bathrobe. She was wearing curlers in her hair and one of his clay face masks. She giggled at his reaction. 

He sat up, gaping in mock horror at her appearance. She laughed at the face he made. 

“I’m gonna rinse this gunk off before you get in the shower.” A few minutes later Pidge had washed and dried her face and arranged her curls into a simple updo. 

“Hey there, beautiful,” said Lance from the bathroom doorway. He was still wearing nothing more than his blue shark boxer shorts and a white T-shirt. 

“Hi. I’m getting out of your way so you can get ready—what are you doing?” Lance was standing behind her, kissing her cheek and trying to nibble at her earlobe. She blushed. Her bathrobe was now askew, revealing a bit more satin and lace than she wanted to show. Embarrassed, she hastily drew the front of her robe closed. Lance turned her around by her shoulders and bent down to kiss her softly on the lips. 

“I’m the luckiest man in the Universe,” he said, and then flashed her his familiar devilish grin.

She smiled up at him. “I must be the luckiest woman then.” While holding her robe closed, she stood on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to finish dressing in the bedroom, and you need a shower right now.” She closed the bathroom door. 

She bit her lip. He was definitely going to pop the question, and if this afternoon was any indication of what their domestic life was going to be like, then she would have eagerly eloped with him right now. She sat on the bed, took a deep breath and tried to calm her excitement. Katie Holt McClain. Mrs. Lance McClain. How could she keep this a secret until January 6?

Pidge busied herself with putting on a little makeup before getting dressed. 

She was wearing fancy but comfortable low-heeled shoes with the knee length dress she had brought along for the New Year’s Festival. The neckline of the colorful, sleeveless floral printed dress she wore was modest, but the silky fabric was form-fitting enough that her subtle feminine curves were apparent. She used to not care about clothes very much, mainly choosing her outfits for comfort and functionality more than anything, but after Lance’s one date with Allura and his subsequent heartbreak, she began to notice something. When she grew out her hair a bit and began to wear more feminine clothes, Lance began to realize that Katie Holt was actually a beautiful young woman. She was suddenly thankful for all the times that her mother had taken her clothes shopping.

Lance should have realized sooner that Pidge was far more compatible with him than Allura could ever have been. Not only had the two of them been best friends for years, but they had a similar sense of humor and many shared many of the same interests. They liked the same movies. They liked the same video games...

Pidge was reminded that her copy of Killbot Phantasm 26 was tucked safely away in her laptop bag. She took it out and smiled, wondering what Lance had gone through to obtain such a rare item. It was in near-mint condition, not in its original wrapper from the factory, but sealed nonetheless. She hadn’t even opened it yet.

“So how’s the gameplay on that thing? Is it as challenging as the original?”

Pidge turned around, momentarily startled. Lance was standing right behind her, wearing nothing but a fluffy white towel wrapped around his waist and a small gold four-way medal around his neck. She gaped at him, speechless. Drops of moisture glistened on his slim but muscular torso and his blue eyes sparkled with delight at the sight of her. 

“You look gorgeous in that dress, by the way,” he said with a confident smile, flashing her that particularly sexy grin of his that always drove her to distraction. Her next coherent thought was that he looked like such a perfect specimen of youthful male virility that an artist should have sculpted him like that—Adonis in a bath towel. She had been to visit her grandmother in Florence when she was a child, and her family been to see Michelangelo’s David while visiting the Galleria dell’Accademia. Pidge mentally compared her boyfriend’s physique to that of the idealized male figure and decided that Lance was just as beautiful as that Renaissance masterpiece.

“Uh...thanks,” she said, averting her gaze. Her face suddenly felt very warm. “I haven’t tried the new game yet. I promised that I would wait for you to play it. Remember?”

“You’ve really been waiting for me all this time, haven’t you?” he asked softly.

If he turned on the charm in just the right amount, he could have had a multitude of lovers, could have had any number of conquests, but, surprisingly, he had not. Her breathing quickened.

After all this time, the only female he had taken any interest since the war ended was Pidge, and her alone. On every date they had gone on, he unfailingly treated her like a queen. Sure, he was incorrigible when he flirted with her in private, but he never tried to take advantage of any awkward intimate situation they ever found themselves in. And now that she had decoded the message he was sending her, she knew why he had been acting this way. He had a very long-term goal for their relationship...

“Of course,” she reassured him. “I-I wanted to wait for you. You’re worth waiting for,” she babbled. Her face felt as if it were on fire.

Lance swallowed, the color rising to his cheeks as well. “So are you,” he said simply. His breathing was ragged. “I’m glad we decided to wait—“ he swallowed, his eyes meeting hers, “—for each other. Uh, I what I mean is...uh, maybe I should probably stop talking now.”

Pidge was certain they weren’t talking about the video game anymore. She smiled and nodded. ”You need to get dressed.”

“Right,” he agreed. 

“I’ll be downstairs, okay?” 

She left the video game on his desk, grabbed her phone and her purse, and hastily exited. She couldn’t remember a time in her life that either of them had ever been this flustered around each other. 

Pidge saw that most of Lance’s family had already gathered in the parlor downstairs.

“Katie, you look lovely dear!” Maria exclaimed. 

“Katie se ve preciosa,“ Lance’s father agreed.

“Thank you,” Pidge replied to Lance’s parents.

“Where’s Lance?” asked Veronica.

“Probablemente esté admirando su propio reflejo en el espejo,” Rachel replied to Veronica with a smirk. Pidge didn’t speak Spanish very well, but it sounded like Rachel thought Lance was admiring his own reflection in the mirror. Pidge grinned at that. His sister knew him too well.

“He just got out of the shower, and he’s getting dressed now,” Pidge blushed in spite of her supreme effort to appear dignified and mature in front of Lance’s family. 

“You two were alone together in his room for a really long time this afternoon,” Marco commented with a smirk. 

“We were just talking,” Pidge began, “and we took a nap.” 

“Together?” asked Veronica, with a mischievous gleam in her blue eyes. 

Oh no, Pidge thought The last thing she needed was for Lance’s sister to tell her parents about that. Veronica had developed a close friendship with her father in her time serving as a military analyst at the Garrison. What if she shared this bit of gossip with him? Sam and Colleen would probably ground her until she moved out of the house.

Marco and Luis raised their eyebrows when they exchanged knowing looks with each other.

“Probablemente ha estado leyendo el libro de romance que le diste,” Marco said to Luis.

Luis loaned him a romance book? And Lance has been reading it? Pidge wondered if she translated that correctly. This was an interesting bit of new information.

“¿Te refieres al libro de sexo?” laughed Rachel.

Pidge tried not to react to Rachel’s question. Luis had loaned him a book about sex?! 

“¿Crees que nuestro hermanito sigue siendo virgen?” sniggered Marco. 

“Sí. Necesita toda la ayuda que pueda conseguir,” Rachel replied. Marco howled with laughter. 

Their little brother was still a virgin, and he needed all the help he could get is how she understood the conversation. It took all of Pidge’s willpower to keep a straight face. Veronica was staring at her, looking concerned. 

Maria glared at the four eldest of her five adult children. “Sé respetuosa con tu futura cuñada, por favor.” 

Future sister-in-law? Pidge could hardly contain her glee. The whole family knew. They were in on Lance’s plan, of course. They had helped him make the videos. She bit her lip. She wanted to shout for joy at this validation of what she suspected since breaking the code this morning.

“¡Mamá, no! Creo que entiende español,” Veronica stage-whispered to her mother. She made a slashing motion across her throat.

Just then Lance descended the staircase, dressed comfortably in a mesh fedora, a thin, pale blue embroidered short-sleeved guayabera, and cool white linen trousers with soft dove-colored loafers. Pidge smiled at him, admiring how effortlessly stylish he looked. Lance smiled back at her, taking her hand in his as they followed the rest of his family outside to the vehicles parked in the driveway. 

Lisa and the children were already in their family car, waiting for Luis. Pidge noticed that Nadia was holding a strange doll that seemed to be made of coarse paper and old rags. She also saw that Rachel hauled a suitcase downstairs and loaded it into the trunk of her sedan before driving Lance’s parents and Veronica to the festival. Maria took an envelope of petty cash and put it in the family’s mailbox before getting in her daughter’s car. All of these things were very curious, but Pidge didn’t comment on any of them.

Lance and Pidge were riding with Marco in his ancient convertible.

You think this piece of junk will get us there?” Lance asked with a laugh.

“This car is a classic, hermano. She’s got it where it counts. Don’t you girl?” he asked as he gave the dashboard a little pat. Pidge smiled at this, remembering how Lance used to talk to the flight simulator much the same way. “It’s a beautiful night, so I hope you don’t mind that we’re driving with the top down.”

“That’s because the air conditioner is broken,” Lance replied as they sped along a winding country road into a tropical sunset of violet, rose, orange, and gold. Lance had his arm around her as a full moon rose and a myriad of distant stars appeared in the clear night sky to light their way to the little town ahead.

They had reservations at Mambo’s, a local restaurant near the town square that served a traditional Cuban New Year’s feast of roast pork, arroz moro, tostones, and cassava with mojo. The percussive and syncopated rhythms of the local Afro-Cuban jazz band lured everyone into the humid night air after supper, and Pidge found herself caught up in the frenzy of the driving beat, barely keeping up with Lance’s rapid steps and the seductive sway of his slim hips as they danced to the music beneath the ropes of multicolored Christmas lights. The air around them smelled of perspiration—and a particularly intoxicating blend of her heady floral perfume with the strong scent of his cologne, which smelled of leather, wood, and exotic spices. A number of pretty young women looked upon her with envy as she danced with the most attractive young man at the festival. Lance, however, was completely oblivious to them. His eyes were drawn to Pidge’s every move. When the tempo of the music slowed, he licked his lips with anticipation as he gazed longingly at her. Five minutes until midnight. 

“Uncle Lance!” Little Nadia was tugging on the hem of his shirt. “You and Aunt Pidge have to come and eat grapes with us.”

“Grapes?” Pidge asked. She couldn’t stop smiling at the words ‘Aunt Pidge.’

“It’s a Cuban New Year’s tradition.” Lance began. “You have to eat 12 grapes and make a wish for each one, then wash it down with a glass of Sidra in the first minute of the new year.”

“Where I come from, couples kiss at the stroke of midnight,” she said.

Lance grinned. “I really like that tradition too, but when in Cuba...”

“Do as the Cubans do?” she asked.

Lance led her to the sidewalk cafe tables where his family had gathered. On the tables were little dishes with exactly twelve grapes in each one, and glasses of what appeared to be apple cider.

They sat at one of the tables facing each other, grapes and Sidra ready, waiting for the countdown to midnight.

When the clock tower chimed at twelve, Pidge’s first wish was for Lance. She popped a grape into her mouth and chewed as quickly as she could. Her second was for his family, and her third was for her own. Her next wishes were for Hunk, Keith, Allura, Shiro, Coran, her friends at the Garrison, and then a wish for her home planet and another for the free peoples of the Universe in general. It was only with the last grape that she even thought about wishing for anything for herself in particular, and it was a wish that she was certain would come true very soon. She was washing down the grapes with her glass of Sidra when she noticed the fires. Luis, Lisa, Nadia, and Silvio were watching the flames consume the paper figurine Nadia had brought along for the annual burning ritual. 

“For luck,” Lance explained while chewing the last of the grapes. “It represents the old year that has passed.”

“Happy New Year!”

“¡Feliz Año Nuevo!”

Fireworks exploded in the clear night sky as he kissed her, and the band began playing a jazzy version of Auld Lang Syne.

Lance took a selfie with Pidge in front of the restaurant, then decided to take a few photos of himself and Pidge in front of a Christmas angel that was made of colored lights. As they were taking more photos of the lights and decorations, Pidge noticed Rachel walking around the block with her suitcase in a sort of impromptu parade with several other townspeople carrying their luggage. “Where’s Your sister going?”

“That’s a ritual you do if you hope to travel in the new year,” Lance explained as he put his phone away. ”I carried my suitcase around the block the year I first met you, and look where that led me.”

Pidge laughed. “To the stars!”

“I used to think that becoming a Paladin was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, but now I know better.”

Pidge raised a quizzical eyebrow. “What could be better than that?”

“Meeting you,” he said simply. He brushed a wayward lock of her hair away from her cheek and gazed at her adoringly. Then he kissed her again and Pidge felt so much happiness she thought she might burst like one of the firecrackers that were still lighting up the night sky.

The band struck up a livelier tune. Pidge saw that Marco was dancing rather close with a rather voluptuous young woman with very long hair and a very short dress. 

“Come on, let’s dance!” Pidge exclaimed. 

Instead of returning to the area in front of the bandstand, they were caught up in another impromptu parade of celebrants who were line dancing in the streets. In all the excitement, neither of them noticed what was going on above them on the second and third floor balconies of the brightly painted buildings that surrounded them. One moment they were holding hands and dancing the simple repetitive steps, and in the next they were both drenched with seemingly endless bucketfuls of water from the balconies above them. They both cried out in surprise. Lance started laughing as the people on the second and third stories shouted “¡Feliz Año Nuevo!” at them. Then they were drenched again by a group of people on the fourth floor. 

“My dress!” Pidge pushed her wet bangs out of her eyes. “Don’t tell me, this is another Cuban New Year tradition, right?”

“It’s actually supposed to be really lucky to have a bucket of water dumped on you at a New Year’s celebration in Cuba,” Lance explained. 

Pidge’s soggy dress clung to her. Her arms and legs were streaked with smelly, dirty water that was grey with filth. “It’s not very hygienic.” 

She looked at Lance, who had left his hat in the car. His stylish embroidered shirt was soaked through and became slightly transparent. She felt the color rise to her cheeks. It would have been sexy if the grey filth hadn’t ruined his fancy guayabera and thin white trousers, which were now clinging to him.

Lance rubbed her arms, “Would it help if I told you that even though we’re both soaked with dirty water right now, I still think this is the best New Year’s celebration I’ve ever been to.”

“Same.” She grinned up at him. 

“Marco’s probably going to want to stay out late tonight.”

“Is there room for us in one of the other vehicles?”

Lance searched for his family’s vehicles. “Luis and Lisa already took the kids home.”

Pidge spotted Rachel, Veronica, and Lance’s parents getting into the sedan. “They don’t have enough space for both of us.”

Just then Marco sauntered up to them, jangling his car keys at Lance. 

“You can borrow the convertible, little brother, as long as you take good care of her.”

“Thanks, Marco.” Lance took the keys.

“But how are you getting home?” Pidge asked. 

Marco grinned and nodded towards to the woman he had been dancing with.  
“Amara will take me home. No worries.” He winked at them and disappeared back into the crowd. 

“Come on, let’s get you back home and out of those wet clothes.”

Pidge smirked and lifted an eyebrow at him. “Is that a promise?”

Lance blushed. “Hey! I’m supposed to be the flirty one.”


	7. January 1 New Year’s Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance confirms Pidge’s suspicions about him in a very sweet and intimate way. Pidge manages to keep the fact that she has decoded his message a secret, but for how much longer? Sooner or later he will figure out that she knows what he’s planning to do.

By the time they pulled into the driveway in Marco’s old convertible, Veronica, Rachel, and Lance’s parents had gone to bed. Lance and Pidge entered the house as quietly as they could, then crept up the stairs to Lance’s room. 

Not bothering to turn on the light, they undressed by the moonlight that shone behind the window blinds. Pidge took off her shoes and sat on the one chair in the room to remove her stockings, which were stained by the filthy water that had been dumped on them. Lance, who had his back turned to her, had his shoes off and was sliding out of his damp guayabera. Pidge felt herself blush at the sight of the perfectly sculpted muscles of his back in the dimly lit room.

“Unzip me,” she whispered in the semidarkness. She heard Lance unfastening the back of her dress, and before he could say or do something gallant, she slipped out of her wet dress and let it pool at her feet. 

“I’ll put our clothes in the washer tonight,” Lance said. He had suddenly moved away from her. She heard the sound of him unfastening his trousers, and when she gathered up her soggy dress from the floor and turned around to face him, she saw that he was carrying a small laundry basket containing his wet clothes. He had hastily changed into his robe and slippers and was staring at her with a bemused look on his face. 

“What?” she asked as her eyes met his. She was wearing undergarments of white satin and lace that enhanced her slight feminine curves. They had seen each other in various states of undress yesterday and Pidge was becoming less and less self-conscious about her body. She didn’t think she could ever have the confidence about her physical attributes that Lance had about his though. Embarrassed, she held her dress in front of her, trying to cover herself. 

“If I knew that was what you were hiding under your Paladin armor, I would have asked you out sooner,” he said with a wink. Smiling to himself, he quickly looked away.

“I hate to disappoint you, but I’m a late bloomer.“ Pidge was pleased to see that he was as embarrassed as she was. 

“Sometimes the last blossom on the vine is the sweetest one of all,” he murmured while still averting his gaze and handing her the green robe she had worn the day before. Of course, he had to say something like that, and do something noble. Her face felt as if it were on fire.

Pidge finished undressing in the bathroom and when she returned to the room wearing only the bathrobe and the heart-shaped pendant he had given her, she put her underclothes in the laundry basket with his. Lance went downstairs to the laundry room to wash their soiled garments while Pidge took a bath and washed her hair. She was still growing it out, and the longer and thicker it grew, the more time it took to dry. 

New Year’s Eve in Cuba had been as hot and humid as a summer night, so Pidge chose to wear a modest but lightweight cotton nightgown to bed. She wasn’t entirely surprised to find Lance in his pajamas, lounging comfortably on one side of the small bed when she returned to the room. 

“Hey, I hope you don’t mind me sleeping here again,” he whispered. 

“No, I don’t mind.” She slipped under the covers with him.

“I got cleaned up in Marco’s bathroom, but I couldn’t stay in his room tonight.”

“Why not?”

“When I got out of the shower, Amara was there,” Lance replied. “She drove Marco home, and I don’t think she’s leaving. My parents don’t really approve of her staying the night.” 

“My parents don’t approve of that sort of thing either, which is why they were so strict with my upbringing. Of course, Marco is a grown man, and what he does is his business.” Pidge said sleepily. She closed her eyes, and inhaled the pleasant scent of the soap and shampoo Lance had used. He always smelled so nice.

“Pidge, you don’t think it’s weird that I haven’t done it yet, do you?”

“Done what?” her semiconscious brain thought. She heard herself mumble it aloud.

“Made love to someone,” he said, his voice cracking a little. Pidge’s eyes snapped open. So the family gossip was true! 

“No,” she said honestly. She gazed at his handsome profile in the moonlight. “It’s not weird to wait for the right person. I think it’s better not to rush into things... It’s better to wait to be with someone you really love. I can’t even imagine being so intimate with anyone else but you. And even though I am really nervous about it, I think our first time will be beautiful and incredibly romantic,” and then she added softly, “...like you, Lance.” His eyes were shining when he turned his head on the pillow to give her a soft smile. 

She closed her eyes once more, and the last thing Pidge felt after that was the sensation of his lips gently brushing her forehead before she drifted off to sleep. 

“Duerme bien, mi amor,” she heard him whisper in the darkness. 

Lance and Pidge were up before breakfast in order to help Lance’s sisters to tend to the geese and chickens. By the time they got there all of the goose eggs had hatched and there were little goslings waddling everywhere. It would have been cute if it weren’t so chaotic. She saw Veronica putting her phone away and assumed she had made a video of how adorable it was. There was no sign of Amara in the morning. Marco skipped breakfast with the family to avoid their awkward questions and then remained outside to get caught up on his chores. After the morning meal, Lance was back outside, insisting on doing Pop Pop’s share of the work so that he could relax on New Year’s Day. Pidge saw that Lance put together a little container of leftovers from breakfast and took it with him. She realized that this was for his brother, and she smiled at his thoughtfulness.

After breakfast, Pidge went to the laundry room to get her clothes as well as Lance’s from the dryer. She brought them upstairs and folded or hung up each article of Lance’s clothing as if she had done it all her life. This simple mundane activity was thrilling to her because it was such an ordinary thing that a wife would do for her husband, and it just felt so natural to do this for him. She felt so cherished falling asleep next to him last night. Going back home to sleep alone in her own little bed seemed like something she had outgrown. How much longer could she keep the secret of his intention to propose? She wanted to broadcast her answer to the Universe.

As she hung up his clothes in the closet, she noticed the leather jacket she had given him for Christmas, along with other coats and hoodies. Lance’s favorite jacket, the one he had worn they day they had found Blue Lion was missing. ‘Maybe he left it at his apartment back at the Garrison,’ she thought. She noticed that he wore the new jacket she gave him when it was cold enough, which was rare here, but he would have plenty of opportunities to wear it when they got back to the States.

After she was done putting their things away, Pidge went downstairs. She had volunteered to help Maria and her daughters in the kitchen. 

By noon everyone was gathered around their huge dining table for a feast: salad, red beans and rice, roast chicken, fried plantains, and natilla, a type of vanilla and cinnamon custard. Lisa and Luis went back outside to keep an eye on Nadia and Silvio who were playing with Lord Calaveras, Silvio’s pet frog, while the other adults sat around the parlor, talking about commerce, politics and current events. 

Most of the family was ready to take a New Year’s Day mid-afternoon siesta when Nadia came back in the house, “They’re here! They’re here, Uncle Lance!” 

“Who’s here?”

“The swans!”

Lance and Pidge followed Nadia to the pond where the geese and ducks were trying to keep cool in the mid afternoon heat. The other fowl kept their distance from the majestic family that swam closest to the shore: two beautiful white swans and their five grey cygnets. Lance, Pidge, Nadia, Sylvio, Luis, and Lisa were silent as they watched the graceful birds gliding across the still water.

“Be very quiet,” said Lisa in a low voice. “We don’t want to frighten them.”

“Seven swans a-swimming?” whispered Pidge.

“You’re catching on,” Lance whispered back to her with a grin.

“Sabiduría is the mama swan and Entendimiento is the papa,” Nadia said softly. 

“She’s a little younger than him, but when they were done with their time of courtship, they bonded for life,” Luis quietly explained, giving Lance and Pidge a knowing look.

“The geese are like that too, aren’t they Papa?” Asked Silvio. His father nodded.

“So are turtle doves,” Pidge added, remembering the figurine Lance had given her. It was still on her desk at home. 

“And most pigeons,” Lance said teasingly, looking at Pidge. He squeezed her hand.

“This pigeon in particular,” she said so quietly that only Lance could hear her. As if on cue, Lisa and Luis led the children away from the pond. 

“The adult swans can be very aggressive if their babies are threatened, so don’t get too close to them.” Lance commented. “Those two know instinctively how to fight as a team.” 

“Like the Blue and Green Paladins?” Pidge asked.

Lance grinned. “Silvio wanted to name the cygnets after the five Paladins, but Nadia wouldn’t let him.”

The male swan trumpeted at them. The five little cygnets hopped on their mother’s back one at a time and were soon hidden by her sheltering wings. 

“Well, I’d better give you this before he attacks me.” Lance said, as the male swan spread his wings in a show of aggression. “I think he’s saying ‘don’t you touch her’ in swan language or something.” Pidge giggled their little private joke. 

Lance slipped a little white card from his pocket and handed it to her. On it was written the number 13 in blue ink. According to her theory about the code, the number 13 stood for the letter “A,” exactly as she predicted. It was hard for her to contain the surge of elation that she felt. 

“Have you solved it yet?” Lance asked.

“No spoilers,” Pidge replied, with her eyes twinkling with merriment. She stood on tiptoe, grabbed him by the front of his shirt and kissed him with joyous urgency. Yielding to the kiss, Lance wrapped his arms around her and returned her affection with equal fervor. The kiss would have lasted longer had the swans not trumpeted loudly at them at that very moment, startling them into embarrassed laughter.


	8. January 2 Kaltenecker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge spends some quality time with her favorite cow, and passion ignites between her and her favorite former farm boy who—she is now absolutely certain—is the man she is destined to love for a lifetime.

Rachel’s wish to travel was granted sooner than anyone anticipated. She had her suitcase packed and ready for a flight to Texas to interview for a graduate fellowship in Animal Husbandry. She wasn’t leaving until the next day, and she had a huge portfolio to complete for the university. Lance promised to do all of her chores so she could spend the day working inside. 

Veronica was no longer around to help out on the farm either. She had already returned to the Garrison a few days early for an important meeting with Commanders Hedrick, Holt, and Iverson. 

Pidge hoped that her parents wouldn’t hear too much of the family gossip from Veronica. She knew what erroneous conclusion they might make if she casually mentioned the fact that Lance was sleeping in his own room again. That meant he was sleeping with Pidge every night. So far all they had done in the privacy of his bedroom was talk, kiss, cuddle, and sleep, but her parents would assume that there might be something else going on. Maybe she should call her mother later on and confess everything. Well, maybe not everything. Her mother didn’t need to know that she had recently seen her guileless boyfriend casually lounging about in his undershorts or sauntering around his bedroom wearing nothing but a towel. 

No one else needed to know that he had his shirt off as they caressed each other when they were alone in his room the night before. Her gentle hands massaged his lean muscles as he explored the contours of her neck, shoulders, and back. Then, when she was lying beneath him, yielding to his passionate kisses, he suddenly just...stopped.

“Lance? Is everything okay?” She looked up at him, the blue-green heart glimmering at her throat above the modest neckline of her cotton nightgown. 

He was leaning on one elbow, studying her in the dim light from the moon outside of his window. Other than a faint glimmer from the small gold medal around his neck he was mostly clad in shadow.

“Everything is perfect. I just don’t want to get carried away.” He found his discarded T-shirt beside the bed and hastily pulled it over his head.

“You really do want to wait, don’t you?” she asked. 

“Yes.” He rested his head on his pillow. “We should sleep now, mi amor.” He gestured toward her in the darkness and she slid over to him, laying her head upon his chest. He embraced her, gently stroking her long hair as she drifted off to sleep.

They sat very close to each other at breakfast in the morning, so close that their arms brushed as they ate, but no one thought anything of it. The McClain family was large and there was barely enough room for everyone at the table.

For as long as she had known him, Lance was always in her personal space. Even when they were just friends he often hovered over her to watch what she was doing or to have a conversation with an arm draped casually around her shoulders. Sometimes he snuck up behind her when she was working at her computer and startled her out of her wits by murmuring directly in her ear. She wondered if he had always felt an attraction to her, even before he was consciously aware of it, and he demonstrated that need to bond with her by his constant physical proximity. He was the most tactile person she had ever met, and his need for constant validation and physical stimulation made her adolescence an emotional roller coaster since she wasn’t accustomed to boys paying any kind of attention to her, and more importantly because she had been harboring a secret crush on him for all those years. Never in her wildest fantasies did she dare imagine that he would fall in love with her, or that she would eventually have the courage to openly express her love for him in return. 

After breakfast, Pidge volunteered to help Lance with whatever chores he was going to complete for the day. She knew that when the holiday finally ended there would be several farmhands available to help care for the animals on the McClain farm, but until then she was determined to help out as best she could so that the responsibility wouldn’t be entirely on Lance and his brothers. Some of the farm’s employees would be back at work as early as tomorrow, which would alleviate some of the burden on the family. 

Lance borrowed his father’s truck to drive them out to the dairy. Little Nadia was learning how to milk cows, and sat between her uncle and “aunt” in the cab. Behind the seats was a cooler with the picnic lunch Lisa had packed that morning along with other refreshments for the long day of work they had ahead of them.

“This’ll be fun. We get to spend some quality time with Kaltenecker,” said Lance. He was wearing his aviator sunglasses again.

“Isn’t she having another a calf?” Pidge asked.

“Yeah, she’s already pregnant with her second one,” Lance replied. 

“We named her first calf Flora,” Nadia added. 

“My mom really liked that name,” said Pidge. “It’s a Latin name that means ‘plants.’ “

“Your mom really likes plants, doesn’t she?” asked Lance with a grin.

Pidge smiled back at him. “She’s obsessed with them.”

They had arrived. After Lance parked the truck, he opened the passenger side door and helped Pidge down, then lifted his little niece out of the cab and set her down gently on the gravel of the driveway which crunched under their boots as they made their way to the dairy barn. 

Lance introduced Pidge to the local women who worked at the dairy: Lucia, Conchita, Ines, Gladys, Marta, and Jacinta. The last two were wide eyed teenagers, still in high school. All of them were very pretty country girls, and they made quite a fuss over Lance. Doe-eyed Ines was openly flirting with him, and shy Marta blushed when he came near, but Lance didn’t seem to notice. The Lance she knew from their days as cadets would have been bragging or showing off for them, but he had matured a great deal since then. Even though she knew that she had nothing to worry about, Pidge was uncomfortable with the amount of attention Lance was getting from these girls, and Nadia, who was a very perceptive child, made sure to stress the fact that her “Aunt Pidge” was her Uncle Lance’s girlfriend. 

The young women set up the milking machines. Gladys was showing Pidge how to connect the milking device to the cow’s udders while Lance was teaching Nadia the old-fashioned way of milking a cow by hand. While his little niece was milking her second cow on her own, Lance led Pidge over to Kaltenecker’s private stall. The cow had a brand new pink satin bow tied to the tip of her tail, and pink, white, and grey milk pails customized with her name on them.

“She prefers to be milked by hand you know,” Lance said.

“That’s because you spoiled her,” Pidge replied. 

While Pidge sat on the milking stool, Lance took out his phone.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking a picture for your collection.” 

When Pidge saw how he had framed the shot, she noticed that there was a card with the number 18 written on it in black ink tacked to the wall behind her and Kaltenecker. The next clue! 18 stood for the letter R in the decoder key she had written out. She looked up at him with a triumphant grin as he snapped the photo.

Eight maids a-milking, she thought, and today she was one of them.

The message she had decoded so far now spelled out:

WILL YOU MAR

There would be another 18 revealed tomorrow. She was certain of it. She reminded herself to keep calm. No spoilers, she thought. 

As Pidge continued milking Kaltenecker, she noticed that Lance was staring down at her. His pupils were dilated and his lips were slightly parted.

She looked up at him. “What?” she asked. 

He blushed. “Uh...Your hair looks cute like that.” He shifted nervously.

She had worn her hair in two long pigtails that day. ‘Pidgetails,’ he called them. 

”Thanks.” She smiled up at him but she continued working. 

“Your technique isn’t quite right,” he observed. “Allow me.”

Pidge got up from the milking stool, and Lance took her place, then said to her, “Come here.” Then he pulled her down to sit on the edge of the small seat, his long legs bent on either side of her. He took her hands and placed them on the udders.

“You don’t need to be so aggressive with her,” he said softly near her ear. “Grab the teat like this,” he said, guiding her hands, “and remember to use a gentle touch with her. She’ll like that...” Pidge wondered if Lance could feel the heat radiating from her face, which she was certain was red with embarrassment at how intimate this task was becoming.

“She’s sensitive...don’t pull on her teat. You just have to give it a gentle, firm squeeze, like this...” Pidge let Lance’s hands guide her. “That’s it...just gently squeeze them...” his voice was a deep whisper in her ear as his hands released hers and traveled up her arms to her shoulders and neck. He pushed one pigtail away from her neck and kissed there. “Gently,” he whispered in her ear. His hands were on her waist now, dangerously close to her pert bosom.

“Uncle Lance, are you teaching Aunt Pidge how to milk a cow?” Nadia asked when she burst into the stall unannounced. Lance was so startled that he overbalanced the stool and flipped himself and Pidge into the hay. 

“You have to grab the teat firmly and give it a gentle squeeze,” Little Nadia explained matter-of-factly. Pidge had fallen backwards on top of Lance and he instinctively embraced her, trying to protect her from the fall. Pidge began to giggle, and Lance hastily removed his hands from her body, apologizing profusely as he struggled to untangle himself from her. Pidge sat up and straightened her blouse, which she realized had become partially unbuttoned, revealing an enticing bit of lace and a hint of cleavage. So, she thought, that’s what he had been staring at when he was watching her milk Kaltenecker.

“Nadia,” Pidge began, “I think I hear Conchita calling you.” Thankfully, this was true. “I have to talk to your uncle about something in private right now.” Nadia disappeared around the corner, following the sound of Conchita’s voice. 

“I’m really sorry,” said a very red-faced Lance. “I don’t know what came over me. I-“

Pidge cut him off by tackling him and pinning him down on a fragrant bed of fresh hay. “I know exactly what came over you.” 

He began to protest, but she silenced him with a kiss. They kissed passionately on the floor of the stall for a long moment until they heard the sound of the barn door opening. Lucia and Gladys were taking the cows out to graze with the rest of the herd. Kaltenecker heard this and mooed loudly. 

“We’d better let her out, or she’ll start kicking,” Lance said as they struggled to sit up. Pidge grinned at him in triumph. Lance’s face was flushed, his red and black plaid shirt was half untucked, and there were bits of hay sticking to him everywhere, particularly his hair, which was messier than usual. Pidge began to giggle again. “What’s so funny?” 

“You look like you’ve just had a roll in the hay, if you know what I mean.” The look of embarrassed guilt on his face was priceless. 

Lance sighed. “I wish,” he mumbled with a grin as he stood up and began brushing bits of hay off of his clothes. Then he offered Pidge a hand and pulled her to her feet. She gazed up at him adoringly as he plucked bits of hay out of her hair. “You’ve figured out what I’m up to, haven’t you?” he asked.

“No spoilers.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “And no spoilers for our wedding night either.” She grabbed his hands and looked down at them. “These two had better stop wandering or I’ll make you sleep in Marco’s room tonight.”

Lance’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened. He shook his head slightly, then stammered “I-I promise that I’ll behave.” His closed his mouth, still looking as red as his shirt.

“You’d better, because I’m not sure if I can anymore,” she said with a smirk.

Pidge then stepped aside to open the door of Kaltenecker’s stall. The cow first trotted, then skipped out into the green pasture.


	9. January 3 Varadero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Lance discuss their future, shop for swimsuits, and eat garlic knots at Pizza Shack. Pidge solves another part of the mystery while in Varadero, and best of all, Lance takes Pidge for a romantic getaway at an isolated beach.

Lance and Pidge were so exhausted after a day of work at the dairy that they had taken their showers and gone to bed early, both wearing warmer pajamas than the night before. The night air was chilly compared to the previous evening, so they held each other close to keep warm. Still entangled in each other’s limbs, they slept through Lance’s alarm the next morning.

Maria knocked on her youngest son’s door and when there was no answer, she entered the room. “Katie?”

Lance was the first to awaken at the sound of his mother’s voice. “Mom?”

“Good morning,” she began. She didn’t seem surprised that Lance was sharing a bed with Pidge. 

“Mrs. McClain! Oh, we must have overslept,” said Pidge, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. 

“I’m told that you two worked very hard yesterday,” Maria continued. 

Lance was leaning on his elbows. “We don’t mind the work, Mom.”

“We’re glad to help out,” Pidge added.

“You two already have jobs at the Galaxy Garrison. This is supposed to be your vacation time. I have arranged to have Juan Carlos and Miguel start today. We can afford to pay them.”

“But, Mom, you shouldn’t have to—“ Lance argued.

“It has already been done. Now about these sleeping arrangements. Lance, you know the rules of this house,” she said sternly.

“Mom, I’m a grown man, not an irresponsible teenager.”

“Mrs. McClain, it’s all right. Lance hasn’t tried to take advantage of the situation. He’s been very respectful.” Most of the time, Pidge added as an afterthought. 

Maria smiled at that. “I hope so. But your siblings gossip, and Katie, I know your parents do not allow this sort of thing in their home.”

Pidge blushed. “No, they don’t. But I don’t think that I will be living there much longer. I was thinking of moving out.”

Lance looked surprised. “You haven’t found a place yet, have you?” He sat up and looked at her with concern.

“I haven’t even started looking, but—“

“Don’t. There’s a place I want you to look at when we get back to the Garrison.” Maria and Pidge both looked at him in surprise. 

“An apartment?” Pidge asked.

“A house,” said Lance. “I think we can afford the expenses, and it’s near your parents place.”

Pidge gaped at him. “And when were you planning to tell me about this?”

“When we got back. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.” 

“Breakfast is ready, but I will keep it warm for you two,” Maria said quietly. “It seems you have things to discuss in private.”

“Thanks, Mom. We’ll be down in a few minutes,” said Lance.

“Thank you, Mrs. McClain,” Pidge added. 

“Please, call me Maria,” Lance’s mother said with a gentle smile, and then she left the room, closing the door behind her quietly.

“A house? Where?” Pidge asked excitedly. 

“On the corner of Pioneer Street and Voyager Avenue,” Lance replied with a sheepish grin.

“That’s in the married officer’s housing district!” Pidge looked at him in wonder, and her vision began to blur with the happy tears that were welling up at the corners of her eyes.

Lance took her hands, “Your dad actually told me about the place. The couple that lived there had retired and moved to Florida, so the house is vacant now. It’s old, but it’s in great shape, and Matt knows a guy that can help us fix it up for hardly anything.”

“They know,” Pidge said of her family. “My family knows about what you’ve been planning.”

“I guess I spoiled the surprise. I know you probably cracked the code days ago. Anyway, I took the liberty of asking for your parents’ blessing several weeks ago.” Lance was looking at her with so much affection that she couldn’t be angry with him for doing all of this without telling her. 

Pidge’s eyes began to water. “They knew,” she began, sobbing happy tears. “They knew what my answer would be.”

Lance embraced her, and stroked her hair as she cried happily. “Your mom and dad were the ones that gave me the courage to do all this. Even though we both know what I plan on asking, I’m still terrified.” His voice broke, and she knew that he was crying too. “That’s why I gave myself twelve days to work up the courage to—“

She pulled away from him a little in order to wipe her eyes. She gave him a watery smile. “No, don’t say it out loud. Not yet,” she said quietly, and she silenced his protest with a gentle kiss. “We are going to enjoy the rest of our vacation, and you’re going through with your original plan. I know your whole family is in on this, and even though I know what you plan to do, I don’t know exactly how you’re going to do it.” She caressed his cheek.

“No spoilers?” he asked.

“No spoilers,” she agreed, with an angelic smile.

The temperature was rising again, so they dressed in lightweight attire, then went down to breakfast together.

At first, they had the table to all to themselves, but Maria sat with them for a while, drinking her morning coffee. 

“Your cousin Tania called about the beach house,” she told her son.

“Oh, that’s right! I was so tired from working at the dairy yesterday that I nearly forgot,” said Lance.

“Beach house?” asked Pidge.

“Tania’s dance studio is over in Varadero, and even though she’s at work today, she said we could go swimming over at her place this afternoon. We’ll practically have the beach all to ourselves,” Lance was always giddy at the prospect of spending time playing in the water. 

“I didn’t bring my suit. I don’t usually go swimming in January.”

“Pidge, this is Cuba. You can go swimming year ‘round if you want to,” said Lance.

“It will definitely hot enough this afternoon,” his mother commented.

“We can go shopping, buy you a new bikini, and—“

“Bikini?” said Pidge. She hadn’t ever worn one of those. All of her swimsuits were modest one-piece affairs, often worn with a long T-shirt and shorts over it. 

“Mom, did Marco take the truck again today?”

“Yes. And he said you can borrow the convertible again as long as you pay for the fuel.”

“Oh, man! This is going to be so much fun!”

Maria told Pidge about Tania’s career as professional dancer and choreographer. She taught ballet and modern dance among other things at a studio called Nueve Damas Bailando. Lance told her they could go shopping at one of the beachwear boutiques near there and get everything they would need for a day in the sun.

They finished their meal and went upstairs. 

Lance took out his duffel bag and packed it with beach towels, suntan lotion, a book, his flip flops, his favorite pair of trunks, and a travel kit filled with toiletries. “After swimming, you’ll want to take a shower before you get dressed again,” he explained. Pidge packed her travel-sized items in a little zippered pouch, along with a comb, deodorant, sunblock, a makeup bag, and other necessities, including her tablet. She had emptied out her laptop backpack and used it to carry everything she was bringing with her on the day trip.

“Should we bring a change of clothes?”

“Yeah. Are you about done packing?”

“I think so.” Pidge thought about shopping for a swimsuit. “There’s one problem, and um, it’s kind of embarrassing...”

“What’s that?”

“I, uh, I’ve never really worn a bikini before, and...”

“Those swimwear shops sell one-piece suits too, so if you don’t feel comfortable wearing a bikini—“

Pidge sighed. “I don’t really like being so...exposed, okay?”

Lance shrugged. “I used to not want to take my shirt off because I’m skinny and I barely have any chest hair, and I used to worry that I wasn’t manly enough, so I understand how you feel. You don’t ever have to be self-conscious in front of me about how you look. I think you’re beautiful, Pidge. ”

“Thanks,” Pidge said, giving him a shy smile. She followed Lance downstairs. Marco handed Lance the keys and they put their bags in the trunk of the convertible. 

When they were finally driving down the open road he brought up the topic again. “So, are you one of those women who prefers a manly man with a deep voice and a lot of chest hair, or, you know, someone like—”

“Someone like you?” 

”Gee, thanks. I’m the opposite of manly, huh?” he teased, pretending to be hurt. Pidge’s cheeks colored. “I-I didn’t mean it like that. You’re my type, okay? I don’t compare you to other guys. You’re the only guy that I ever...you know.”

He smiled, but kept his eyes on the road. “I know. It’s just that I know how women talk about guys. Rachel likes muscly dudes with hair on their chests, but Lisa makes Luis get his back waxed.”

Pidge giggled. “I did not need to know that. But I do agree with Lisa that back hair is gross.”

“Well, I am sure you’ve noticed that I don’t have that problem. Truth is, I don’t have a lot of body hair, uh, except in a few places. When I was younger I was concerned about not being...masculine enough.”

“You need to stop worrying about such trivial things. I think you look great exactly as you are, Mr. Smoothy.”

He looked at her with that familiar sexy grin that never failed to make her blush. “Okay. You know, I think you’re pretty hot, too.”

Pidge snickered. “I’m short, skinny, and I barely even have curves. You have a strange definition of hot.”

“You’re petite and adorable,” he said, “and your, um...well, you drove me to distraction yesterday when we were milking Kaltenecker. I promise that if you’re brave enough to wear a bikini, I’ll humiliate myself by wearing a speedo. It’s only fair.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “You just want to show off your muscles...and that cute butt of yours,” she mumbled under her breath.

Lance briefly skidded over into the other lane. Luckily there wasn’t any oncoming traffic.

“Keep your eye on the road, Mr. Smoothy. Marco wants his convertible back in one piece.”

Lance blushed and didn’t say anything for a long time.

After parking the car, they walked about a block to a swimsuit store. Lance squeezed her hand as they neared the entrance. “I’d think it would be very cool if..if you’d um...well, if you’d model for me.”

“Lance, this is embarrassing enough as it is,” she began. “I-“

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about. We won’t be this young or this thin forever you know.” He lowered his voice. “And the beach we’re going to is really secluded, so if you decide to wear something revealing, it’ll be for my eyes only.” He winked at her.

Pidge considered this carefully. I didn’t take long for her to make a decision. “I guess you better start looking for a speedo then.” He stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth agape. Pidge practically had to drag him into the store.

They picked out curtained dressing rooms that were side by side. 

“Ready?” he asked from outside of her dressing room. 

Pidge poked her head out from behind the curtains and saw that Lance was wearing a red swim brief with white racing stripes on the sides and a white drawstring at the waist. “Nice,” she commented, giving him a thumbs up. 

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit embarrassed. When she didn’t come out of the dressing room, he put his hands on his hips. “Okay, let’s see yours now,” he said firmly.

Pidge drew back the curtain. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she was wearing a modest black swim brief and a matching scoop-necked sports bra style top. “Is this one okay?” Her cheeks were very pink.

“Pidge, I would say you look gorgeous if you were wearing an old sack, but honestly, the black one doesn’t do anything for you. What about one of the more colorful ones?”

She closed the curtains again, looking over what she had found in her size. Colorful...hmm...

A few minutes later she heard him say “Ready for the next one?”

Pidge poked her head through the curtains once more and immediately began to laugh. Lance was wearing liquid metallic orange swim briefs accessorized with bright yellow swim fins, goggles, and a snorkel. 

“I don’t think so,” she said as she continued to giggle. She knew he was being a goofball on purpose to get her to relax. “No metallics.”

Then she stepped out from behind the curtain, with her long hair down around her shoulders, She proudly modeled a pair of shimmering green swim briefs that looked like they were made of fish scales with co-ordinating top that resembled a pair of lavender scallop shells held together with strings.

“You know I like mermaids, but that one is so cartoonish that it looks like it came from the children’s department.” He set the goggles on the top of his head and pushed the snorkel aside as he was overcome with laughter.

“It did,” she said with mock dismay. “Sadly, it fits me.”

“You should take your own advice about metallics, and wait...before you go back in there...” 

Still wearing the ridiculous yellow swim fins, he awkwardly waddled toward her, and tilted her chin up to give her a sweet kiss. “I always did want to kiss a mermaid,” he murmured against her lips.

“You’ve already done that,” she argued softly. 

“No. Plaxum only kissed my helmet, and it was actually kind of slimy and gross.” 

“That’s not what you told everyone,” she argued.

“I’ve matured a lot since then. I promise, you’re the only mermaid I dream about kissing.”

“I know. You talk about it in your sleep.” 

She disappeared back into the dressing room, leaving Lance standing in the middle of the store with a very silly grin on his face.

A few minutes later, Pidge heard Lance’s voice outside of her dressing room once again. “I think I found a winner!” he exclaimed. 

She looked through the curtains to see Lance’s tan complexion complemented beautifully by the color of his bright blue and white swim briefs. When he saw that she was watching him, he turned around to show her the rear view. The word VOLTRON was written in bold white capital letters on a field of blue that stretched across his backside. The swimsuit had ridden up a little, so he gave it a bit of a tug to cover his well-muscled buttocks, wiggling a little as he did so. 

Pidge could hardly contain her giggles. “Perfection!” 

“I know,” he said, patting his own bottom. He looked over one shoulder at her and grinned. “The swimsuit looks pretty good too.” 

Pidge was laughing so hard that tears ran down her cheeks.

”They are over-merchandising that new Legendary Defenders movie. They are putting this logo on everything.” He turned around. 

“Including your butt?” she added. “Maybe we should get a trademark on it, you know, because of its perfection and all that.”

He blushed again. “Okay...Okay. Let’s see yours.”

Pidge parted the curtains to reveal that she was wearing modest bikini swim briefs, with a slightly v-shaped waistband that emphasized her slim waist and the flare of her hips, and a matching bikini top that was padded slightly and revealed a hint of cleavage but only a little of the upper curvature of her alabaster breasts. The suit’s material featured a print of tiny white and yellow daisies on a deep green background. She thought the suit was conservative enough for her taste, cute and sweet, rather than provocative. She bit her lip, waiting for his opinion of her attire.

Lance stared at her for a long moment, slack jawed and speechless. 

“Well, aren’t you going to say anything?”

He just stood there gaping for several more seconds. Finally his mouth moved, and after a few tries, he was eventually able to form words. “The green one. You—you should definitely get the green one. It fits...nicely.” He swallowed. “You look great,” He squeaked, his voice sounding nearly an octave higher than usual. “I’m going to get dressed now.” He darted behind the curtains of his dressing room.

Pidge made her purchase, which included some souvenir Varadero Beach flip flops, then she and Lance walked back to Marco’s car to put their shopping bags in the trunk with his duffel and her laptop bag.

“You did buy the green one, right?” He asked. 

“Of course,” she replied. “I could tell it was your favorite.”

“I kinda liked the mermaid one, too,” he confessed.

“Do you want me to go back and get that one, too?” 

“I already bought that one in your size.”

“What?! And where would I wear such a ridiculous thing?”

Lance mumbled something that sounded like “on our honeymoon” but she couldn’t be sure because they had arrived at the entrance of Nueve Damas Bailando, and the throbbing music from the dance studio drowned out the sound of their voices. Pidge translated the sign as “Nine Ladies Dancing.” Of course! 

They followed the sound to the main rehearsal room, which was a large room with a hardwood floor and mirrored walls. Tania saw their approach as a reflection before she turned around to greet them.

“Rest for a bit, ladies,” she said to the nine young women in leotards. 

She greeted her cousin. “Lance!” she exclaimed. “¡Mi primo favorito!” Lance hugged her, and she kissed her cousin on both cheeks. “And this must be the lovely Katie, no? Ella es muy hermosa.” 

“Hi! You can call me Pidge if you’d like,” she said as Tania enthusiastically hugged her too. Although the dancers were supposed to be having a break, Pidge noticed that the women eyed both Lance and herself with interest. 

“Girls, this is my favorite little cousin Lance, and you can see he is not so little anymore!” The women laughed. “And this is his novia, Pidge—Katie Holt.” The women clapped and Pidge heard a buzz of conversation which included frequent mention of the words “Paladin” and “Voltron.” They all looked a bit star struck. Tania turned to Pidge. 

“Before I loan you two the keys to my beach house, we have a short rutina de baile for you. Ladies whenever you’re ready.”

The dancers did a short jazz routine that was precise and energetic, and when it was over, Lance and Pidge applauded sincerely. Lance handed Pidge a card with the number 18 on it in black ink, exactly as she predicted.

Tania loaned Lance the keys to her home. “You can swim as long as you like. Feel free to use the kitchen, the bathroom, or the laundry room as needed. There are clean towels in the guest bathroom if you would like a shower after you swim. I will not be home until 9:00 p.m. this evening, so you can return the keys to me here if you must leave before then.”

“Thank you so much, Tania. Pidge has never been to Varadero before,” said Lance. 

“It is beautiful. You will love it my dear.” 

One of the dancers approached Tania. “May we take a photo with the Paladins of Voltron?” 

“Thank you for all you have done,” said one.

“You saved the Earth,” said another.

“I saw your movie!” the youngest dancer exclaimed. And soon they were surrounded by women wanting a selfie or an autograph, which Lance and Pidge gladly gave them. 

The women eventually went back to their rehearsal when Lance and Pidge finally left the studio.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. 

“I’m famished.”

“How would you like to try the best garlic knots on Earth?” He asked. “Pizza Shack is between here and Tania’s house.”

“That’s your favorite thing in the world, isn’t it?”

“One of my favorite things. I think they’re outranked by my mom’s hugs, playing videos games with you, flying, and making out with my girlfriend, and not necessarily in that order.”

“Wow,” she said sarcastically. “I made the list twice. I hope I am not outranked by the garlic knots.”

Lance chuckled. “Hey, I am still probably outranked by robots and peanut butter cookies on your list, but you don’t hear me complaining.”

They ordered cold drinks, a large hand-tossed pizza with an assortment of meat toppings, and a box of the famous garlic knots, then sat at one of the outdoor patio tables facing the beach to enjoy their meal. There were only a few tourists on the boardwalk in winter, but the weather was still warm enough that most of them wore shorts or sundresses if they weren’t in swimsuits. 

“Mmm, these are delicious,” Pidge admitted as she bit into another garlic knot. 

“I told you. They’re the best garlic knots anywhere.” Lance took another bite of his pizza.

“You haven’t tasted my great-aunt Gina’s. I’m determined to learn to make them like she does.”

Lance smiled at her. “Mom told me about the recipes she e-mailed you the other day.”

“I don’t want you to starve,” she said, not mentioning the topic they agreed not to discuss.

“I’m going to cook for you too, you know. Hunk’s been giving me lessons.”

“That house on Voyager Avenue has a nice big kitchen, doesn’t it?” Pidge asked. 

“It’s got Hunk’s seal of approval,” Lance said with a grin. 

“Everyone knows, then?” She studied his face, looking for an answer.

“You know I can’t keep any secrets from you.” Lance smiled guiltily at her.

“Or anyone else, for that matter.” She took a sip of her drink. “How many bedrooms?”

“Four.”

She lifted her eyebrows at him. 

“I was hoping that someday we might need those extra rooms. I mean, it might not be right away, and I know you have your career, and I didn’t want to assume—“

“We’ll need them,” she assured him with a smile. “I really am looking forward to being a mom, and I’m confident that you’ll be a great dad.” He grinned at her, and she smiled back at him. “No more spoilers. Let’s just enjoy our day.”

They took the leftover pizza and garlic knots with them to Tania’s along with the additional bottled water and sports drinks that they purchased. They could reheat the pizza they saved for supper and not have to worry about going out again. Pidge smiled when she saw that the beach was deserted when they arrived at the house. 

“See? We have privacy here.”

“That’s good. I feel so bloated after eating all that pizza I might not want to be seen in public wearing a revealing swimsuit.”

He smiled at her. “You know I’m still gonna love you when we’re both old and fat and grey haired, right? Let’s get changed.”

Within a half hour they had changed into their swimsuits and set up Lance’s beach blanket under Tania’s huge umbrella near the shore. 

“You ought to put some of this on,” Lance suggested, holding up a bottle of something that smelled like coconuts.

“I slathered myself with SPF 50 this morning. That’s why my face isn’t sunburned from riding around in the convertible all day.”

“I know. But I know you will get a little sunburned eventually. This stuff will help you tan more and burn less.” He offered her the bottle, and Pidge rubbed a little of the lotion on her arms. 

“I love the smell of it,” she said, pushing her ponytail aside. “Rub some on my back.”

Lance was all too eager to comply, and once again Pidge felt the thrill of being touched by his strong yet gentle hands as he massaged the suntan lotion into her skin. Lance took his time, as if studying every part of her body that was exposed by the swimsuit, and evaluating how she responded to his touch. His approach to exploring her body was almost like a slow, sensual scientific experiment, and this secretly amused her. She pushed the straps of her bathing suit top aside when he massaged her shoulders with the sweet-smelling stuff, and she rubbed the lotion on her chest and belly while he caressed her lower back. He massaged it into her arms next, and then her calves and feet as she covered her thighs with the stuff. Then she did the same for him, noting that he smiled his most dazzling smile at her as she began with his arms. He covered his legs with the stuff, then laid on his belly next, savoring the sensation of her delicate hands kneading the fragrant lotion into the muscles of his bare back.

“That feels so good, Pidge...” he said. “Don’t stop.” But of course, she did stop when she had covered every bit of his exposed flesh with the suntan lotion. He looked a little disappointed when she put the cap back on the bottle, but then he sighed. “I’m so relaxed right now, I don’t feel like swimming just yet.”

“I could use a nap right now myself,” she replied as she lay beside him on the beach blanket. 

Pidge didn’t even remember falling asleep, but when she woke up she saw that Lance was taking a nap, and the book he had been reading was beside his right hand. The dust jacket on the thick volume depicted a Medieval knight in shining armor. Curious, she sat upright and opened the book. First, she noticed that the title page didn’t match the book cover’s English title. The table of contents was in Spanish, and her rough translation indicated that it was a nonfiction book for men about dating, relationships, marriage, sex, and fatherhood. Intrigued, she began skimming the chapter titles and subheadings and then she realized that this was the book that Lance’s siblings had been talking about, the one that Luis had loaned him. 

She peeked at the chapter he had bookmarked and a few words caught her attention: amor, paciencia, fedelidad, humilidad, and dominio proprio, among others. 

Love. Patience. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. 

Pidge closed the book and looked at Lance sleeping peacefully in the shade, blissfully unaware that she had discovered another one of his secrets. She studied him, seeing that in his peaceful sleep the veneer of the innocence of youth had been momentarily restored to him. He appeared as both the naive teenager who had befriended her a lifetime ago and the mature, battle-weary young man who had fallen in love with her after guarding his heart for so long. In sleep, the lines of stress and worry that marred his countenance in the final years of the war seemed to disappear. She stroked his hair with a feather-light touch, marveling at the fact that such a courageous, selfless, beautiful young man wanted to devote himself to her for a lifetime. 

She remembered how he had studied so diligently for his last officer promotion. Now both cadets and officers alike snapped to attention and saluted Captain Lance McClain in the Garrison’s corridors. He gave her all the credit for his achievements, but in truth he had earned them, just as he had earned the respect of his students and fellow officers.

He studied and made preparations for his promotion, claiming that she was the reason he wanted to be a better man. Now, she realized, he was studying for both the pleasures and the responsibilities of marriage and fatherhood. She knew that he was reading that book because he wanted to learn how to be the best husband and father he could be. She knew he desperately wanted to please her and prove himself worthy of her. 

Lance stirred in his sleep, his tiny gold medal gleaming in the sunlight. Perhaps he had become aware of her proximity. He opened his eyes. 

“Pidge, are you okay?” he asked, still half asleep.

“I’m fine,” she said, becoming aware that her cheeks were damp.

“You’ve been crying,” he observed with concern in his eyes as he sat up.

She smiled at him. “I’m just happy. Sometimes I just get a bit overwhelmed by all of this.”

He gently wiped her cheek with his thumb and smiled at her. “I know exactly what you mean.”

He noticed his book wasn’t where he set it down. “You haven’t been reading that, have you?” 

She smiled shyly at him. “I glanced at it, but I don’t read Spanish very well,” she confessed. 

“Even if you got the gist of it, you know why I’m reading it.”

She smiled at him. “No spoilers.”

Lance stretched and then stood up. “Let’s go for a swim then.”

He helped her to her feet and held her hand as they walked barefooted on the white sands towards the cerulean sea. She took in the vista before her, the palm trees, the sea foam upon the waves, the sunny azure sky and the endless horizon before her. 

“I think I finally understand why you were so homesick when we were in space. It’s beautiful here.”

“The view is gorgeous,” he agreed, but he wasn’t looking at the sand or the sea. His eyes were upon her, she realized. “It’s breathtaking,” he murmured as he stared unabashedly at her, and Pidge felt a heat all over her body that wasn’t just from the sun. 

They walked hand in hand along the shore, taking delight at the little waves that ebbed and flowed against their calves until they finally decided to go further out to play in the water, to swim and float and splash each other for the better part of the afternoon. They tossed around an old frisbee that they found and chased each other along the shore, with Lance eventually collapsing onto the wet sand and pulling Pidge down on top of him. They lay like that, their gazes locked for what seemed an eternity as the rising tide caressed their scantily clad bodies then receded again. She kissed him softly then rested her head upon his chest, and he held her against his heart as if he never wanted to let her go. When the waves threatened to engulf them, she got up suddenly and ran, and he chased her along the beach to a spot along the shore that seemed less dangerous. They flopped down in the wet sand there and kissed again. Then, without warning, he lowered her onto her back as the tide approached again, kissing her with an urgency that thrilled her. She yielded to him, parting her lips and allowing him to deepen the kiss. Another wave drenched them, and they broke apart, gasping for air. He pulled her to her feet and they waded out to sea once more, going for one last swim to rinse the sand off of them as the sun began to set.

“The temperature is dropping,” she observed as they waded in the water once again. She shivered.

“We can watch the sunset and then go back inside for hot showers and have leftovers from Pizza Shack for supper. How does that sound?”

She smiled. “That sounds like the perfect ending to a perfect day.”

He held her close, trying to keep her warm with the heat from his body as they watched the spectacular sunset over Varadero.


	10. January 4 The Frog Jockey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Although it is not yet January 6, Pidge has an epiphany. 
> 
> Definition of epiphany according to Merriam-Webster.com:
> 
> 1 capitalized : January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ  
> 2 : an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being  
> 3a(1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something  
> (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking  
> (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure  
> b : a revealing scene or moment

On Sunday morning, Pidge woke up to see that Lance was already up and having his morning coffee and a pastry while seated at his desk. He was still in his pajamas, and was staring at the screen of his laptop with a serious expression. She watched him type something that she could not see and then hit send. 

“Good morning,” she said as she sat up and pushed her hair back from her face. “You’re up early today.”

“Good morning,” he replied cheerfully. “I just wanted to take care of some business before getting ready for church. I thought I’d get there early to go to confession.”

“Confession?”

“Yeah. I’ve been having a lot of impure thoughts lately for some reason,” he said while glancing over his shoulder at her.

Pidge snorted. “I should go too, then.”

He grinned at her. “I’m being serious.” 

She got out of bed and kissed his cheek. “So am I.” 

She gathered her things and got ready for the day in his small bathroom, pondering the transaction she had seen on his laptop screen. It appeared that several months ago he owed an Unilu trader a huge sum of money, and he had only paid it off after collecting money from the sale of...something. She touched the necklace at her throat. The beautiful extraterrestrial gem in her pendant was a rare one. She didn’t know how he could afford it, much less buy an engagement ring, and prepare to make a down payment on a house. 

When she was dressed, Lance was still in his pajamas, and still engrossed by something on his screen. 

“I’m going down to breakfast,” she announced. “Don’t you need to get ready?” 

“I’ll meet you downstairs in about half an hour,” he assured her, then went back to his typing.

Not being much of a churchgoer, Marco slept late. Luis, Lisa, and the children were having breakfast at their own house. Since Veronica was back at her apartment already, and Rachel was still in Texas, there wasn’t anyone at the table when Pidge arrived in the dining room. Pidge poured herself a cup of coffee and selected a fresh fruit pastry from the basket where Maria had left them on the kitchen counter. 

She heard Mr. and Mrs. McClain’s voices from the screened porch where Maria kept her pet birds.

“Katie? We are having our coffee out here. Why don’t you join us, dear?”

When Pidge stepped onto the porch with her pastry and mug, she was greeted by a chorus of chirps and whistles from the parakeets. The African Grey parrot greeted her with the cry of “Hey, pretty lady!”

“Did Lance teach him to say that?” Pidge asked with a giggle. Lance’s parents laughed.

“No, I did,” Lance’s father admitted. “I taught Wingman to talk when little Lancito was just learning to talk himself. I think he may have learned how to flirt from the bird, which may be why he is so bad at it.”

Maria and Pidge chuckled. “Now I know where Lance gets his sense of humor,” Pidge observed, and they laughed again. 

“Well if my boy is a shameless ladies’ man, that is my fault. If he is a gentleman, that is all Maria’s doing.” 

“He takes after both of you, then,” Pidge replied. Pop Pop thought this was very funny. 

“More Maria than me,” he argued. “He is a good boy. We are glad he found a nice girl like you, Katie.”

“You are the answer to a mother’s prayer, my dear,” said Maria kindly. 

Pidge blushed. “Thank you.” She smiled at both of Lance’s parents. “And thank you for welcoming me into your home. I have had the time of my life these last few days. It will be difficult to return to life at the Garrison after spending time in such a beautiful place.”

“We were so proud when our boy made it into your escuela de astronautas,” Pop Pop said. “When he went missing it was very difficult for us, especially Maria.” He squeezed his wife’s shoulders. 

“I wept every day and prayed every night for his safe return. I prayed for his friend Hunk and you as well, though we did not know each other then. We knew that Hunk Garrett was his best friend since they started at the academia together. Lance wrote to us about what a bright and kind young man he is.”

Pidge nodded in agreement. “Hunk really is a terrific guy.”

“We learned about you from the television,” Pop Pop continued. “We knew of the disappearance of Shirogane, your father, and your brother from the news.”

“An investigation revealed that there was no such person as the boy Pidge Gunderson who disappeared along with our son and his friend,” Maria continued. “When we found out about the conspiracy theories—“

“They said Commander Holt had a little daughter as brilliant as he is. They said she hacked into the government’s computers to find out what happened to her missing father and brother,” her husband added. “They said she cut her hair and disguised herself as a boy and went to space to find them. At first I thought this little girl must be mad, or a genius, or she must love her father and brother so much that she would risk her life to attempt what is not possible. As it turned out, you are all three!”

Pidge laughed. “No argument there.”

“You gave us hope, Katie,” Maria said tearfully. “If your family was still alive, then maybe our son and his friend might be alive a well.”

“Veronica did some investigating of her own,” Mr. McClain continued. “She might have been facing a court martial if they ever found out how many of the rules she broke while trying to find out what happened to her baby brother. She told us what she could, and what she learned helped us to believe that our son might be coming home one day.”

“One of the happiest days of our lives is when the Paladins returned to Earth and we saw our son alive and well.” Maria was crying silently as she spoke. “And we saw for ourselves that the rumors were true about you and your wonderful family. We are honored to have you as a guest in our home.” 

“It would be an even greater honor to have you as a member of our family,” said Pop Pop. 

Crying happy tears, Pidge got up from her chair and hugged them both. 

“Brave girl,” said Wingman. “Smart girl.” 

The blue parakeet wolf whistled. 

“Pretty lady,” Wingman agreed.

“I think I had best wake our heathen son,” said Pop Pop with a sniffle. “If Marco doesn’t want to go to church, then he can get up and make himself useful around here.” 

Pidge knew that this was just an excuse for Lance’s father to leave. He was embarrassed to have cried in front of the women. Maria hugged Pidge again. 

“I broke the code before the new year,” Pidge confessed. 

Maria smiled, “I told everyone you would.”

“Clever girl,” agreed Wingman.

“It didn’t take long for Lance to figure out what I did. We aren’t very good at keeping secrets from each other.” 

“But you are letting him have his fun for twelve days, aren’t you?” 

The cockatiel heard “twelve days” and began to whistle the familiar Christmas carol.

“Of course. We agreed that even though I know what he plans to do, I don’t know how he plans to do it. The waiting...the anticipation makes it even more exciting, like when little children count down the days until they get to open their Christmas presents.”

“My Lance cannot keep secrets from his mother either,” Maria said with a gentle smile. “I know that you are the right girl for my son. I know because he has waited so long for you.”

“It’s been a year since we started dating—“ Pidge began.

“Far longer than a year, my dear. He has loved you for many years.”

“Oh, no, he loved Allura before—“

“A school boy’s crush. She is beautiful and brave and kind and as magical as any fairy tale princess. He was under her spell, but that was not love.”

Pidge shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“Did you know that they were practically forced to go on a date together by their friends? Lance later confessed to me that he didn’t even want to go out with her because he knew even then that he had developed feelings for you. He said it felt like betrayal. The guilt he felt afterwards drove him into a deep depression. He knew he had acted foolishly and almost lost you because of it.”

Pidge’s lips parted and her jaw fell open in surprise. She shook her head. No.

Maria continued, “He was attracted to Allura’s beauty but it was with the raging hormones of a teenage boy who has read too many fantasy stories. He always liked to imagine himself the honorable knight in shining armor who would slay the dragon and marry the princess. That is why he asked her to marry him on the first date. He is a good boy, my Lancito. He knows that sex is a sacred thing between husband and wife. He was trying to honor your princess while satisfying his lust for her.”

Pidge continued to listen in open-mouthed shock. 

“I know your princess had her heart broken by that horrible man, Lotor. My son’s kindness to her was a great comfort to her, but she did not love him as more than a friend or as a brother. That is why she let him go, not to break his heart, but to set him free.”

Pidge’s cheeks were tear-streaked as she sat in stunned silence. 

“From the moment he returned to us, my son told us of his adventures and of his friends. He admires Shirogane’s leadership and Coran’s kindness. He speaks highly of Keith’s skill as a warrior and as a pilot, and you already know that Hunk is as dear as a brother to him. “

Pidge nodded, still unable to speak, then pressed her lips together.

“He spoke more of you than any other Paladin. He told me of your great courage and determination. He told me of your love of your family and your loyalty to your friends. He told me of your sense of humor and your love of so many of the things that he also enjoys. Most of all he spoke of your intelligence, your sweetness, and your innocence. It took him years to work up the courage to ask you to go on a proper date, and when he finally made you his, he treated you respectfully, didn’t he?”

Pidge smiled. “He’s been a perfect gentleman,” she said hoarsely. She swallowed. “He has always insisted on...waiting. Waiting until we get married to...” Pidge blushed, and Maria nodded, understanding what remained unspoken.

Pidge looked up at the ceiling as more tears fell. Maria handed her a clean napkin so that she could dab at her eyes. 

“Waiting is a sign of true love,” Maria declared. “Any man can say to a woman that he loves her, but only a man who truly loves her can wait for marriage and prove that it is true.”

“True love,” agreed Wingman. 

They sat in silence after that.

The weather was perfect and the Mass was beautiful that day. Pidge accepted a church bulletin from the usher who was handing them out to everyone at the exit, and as she was tucking it away in her purse, Nadia ran up to her and handed her a few leaflets. Pidge thanked her and put the little booklets in her purse with the bulletin. She intended to read them later, hoping to improve her Spanish. The congregation did not disperse much after exiting the building. Most of the parishioners remained for the festival celebrating the twelve days of Christmas. There was a luncheon was followed by carnival games and contests for the children. There were also a number of unfamiliar competitions, including a frog jump.

“Aunt Pidge, you have to come watch. Silvio is going to frog jockey for Lord Calaveras in the competition today.”

“Frog jockey?” 

“They’re in the top ten!” Nadia exclaimed.

Luis smiled. “He has to make Lord Calaveras jump three times. Whichever frog jumps the farthest in three hops is the winner until the next competition in the spring.”

Pidge and Lance, along with Lance’s parents, followed Nadia and Luis to where Lisa and Silvio were. They were with the other contestants in a large section of the parking lot that had been roped off for the spectators. 

The jockeys and their frogs would compete in reverse order of the previous season’s rankings. Pidge read the competition rankings that had been posted:

10th Place: Bubbles  
9th Place: Keroppi  
8th Place: Sticky Joe  
7th Place: Prince Naveen  
6th Place: Lily  
5th Place: Wart Simpson  
4th Place: Lord Calaveras   
3rd Place: Pepe III  
2nd Place: Sir Hops-a-Lot  
1st Place: Rosie the Ribbitter II

The starting point for each contestant was a round patch of artificial turf that was placed in the center of the roped off area. From there each jockey had to motivate his or her frog jump the farthest in three hops, and then official measurements were made. 

The jockeys yelled and slapped the ground to startle their frogs into hopping, which may or may not have been the best motivator, but assistants with nets were waiting to catch the competing frogs before they escaped into the crowd after three hops. 

There were frog jockeys of all ages in the competition, but Sylvio was the youngest by far. Pidge got caught up in the cheering and the laughter with the rest of the crowd. Silvio was jumping almost as high as Lord Calaveras when the announcement was made that his frog had made a distance of an astonishing 19 feet 3 inches, earning him a second place trophy and $750 in prize money. 

“Congratulations, Silvio!”

“Way to go, Silvio!” 

All of the members of his family hugged him and ruffled his hair, including Aunt Pidge, who had finally felt as if she were a member of Lance’s family, even if it wasn’t official yet.

When Silvio posed for a photo with Nadia (who held a big green trophy), Lord Calaveras, and the check for the prize money, Lance drew forth a card from his pocket with a number 25 written on it. “Ten frogs a-leaping,” he said with a smile.

“I thought it was supposed to be ten lords a-leaping,” said Pidge.

“Calaveras is a lord,” proclaimed Silvio. “Does that count?”

Pidge pocketed the card. 25 represented the letter Y, so now the message read:

WILL YOU MARRY _ _?

Two days left. She smiled to herself. True love waits, she thought. 

Pidge returned to the farmhouse with Lance and his parents at sundown. After eating supper, showering, and changing into pajamas, Lance was back at his computer once again, this time writing lesson plans for the new semester at the Garrison Academy. Pidge was sitting on the floor, rearranging the suitcase she was packing. She held up her copy of Killbot Phantasm 26. “We didn’t get a chance to play this yet. Do you want to play tonight before going to bed?”

Lance looked at her apologetically. “We can’t. I pawned my game console months ago.”

“What?!” Pidge exclaimed in surprise. 

“We can still play at your house. Your console has more sentimental value than mine anyway, considering what we went through to get it.”

“But why did you sell yours?” she asked.

Lance gave her a soft smile. “For the same reason I pawned my baseball memorabilia collection and my old jacket. A collector gave me a great price for it. He said a Paladin’s relic would have ‘sacred and historic value,’ whatever that means.”

Pidge knew that the jacket had been Lance’s favorite when he was a teenager. He was wearing it the night they first went into space, and he wore it every day when they lived in the Castle of Lions. She remembered that it was missing when she looked for it in the closet a few days before. 

“But you loved that jacket,” Pidge said softly. “Why did you sell it?”

“I needed the money to pay off a debt. It’s done now. I made the last payment this morning,” Lance was still gazing at her with a tender expression. “After teaching summer school and getting that promotion, I was able to pay it off quicker.”

“I think I know what you bought,” Pidge said, looking a little guilty. “You had it hidden in your sock drawer.”

Lance’s eyes grew round as he gasped. “You saw it?!”

“No. I just guessed what it might be. No spoilers, remember? I didn’t peek.” 

Lance was frantically tearing through what was left in his sock drawer. “It’s missing!”

Pidge giggled. “No it isn’t. You just packed it a little while ago.”

Lance opened his suitcase. “Are you sure?” He rearranged his clothes until he found it, then he exhaled loudly. “This needs to go in my carry-on bag anyway.” He tucked it away in his smaller bag and sat back down at his computer, trying to calm himself down.

Pidge got up and stood behind him. She began massaging his neck and shoulders. “Relax. Everything has been perfect so far. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Except money,” Lance sighed. 

“Not really,” Pidge said soothingly. “I have a job too, you know.”

“But even with both of our incomes, I don’t know if we make enough money to—“

“Lance, my parents have enough—“

“No. I don’t want to take your parents’ money,” Lance said firmly.

“You won’t have to. I have a presentation for Garrison Tech when we get back. Dad thinks my latest A.I. innovation is going to be very profitable, so I’ve developed versions of it for both military and civilian markets.” 

Lance turned around and gaped at her. “Seriously?”

Pidge sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “We’ll be able to afford that big house you’re dreaming of. We’re in this together. You don’t have to do this alone.”

Lance smiled at her. “You really are the most amazing woman I have ever met, you know that?” 

Pidge kissed his cheek. “If you tell me the name of that collector, I could probably afford to buy back your jacket from him.”

“No. A deal’s a deal,” Lance insisted. He was holding Pidge on his lap with his left arm. “Anyway, it doesn’t fit anymore.” He flexed his right bicep. “See? I’m not the skinny noodle I used to be.”

Pidge smiled. “Your shoulders are broader as well.”

“Then you understand why I don’t want my old jacket back. I don’t want to wear it any more than you want to wear your brother’s old hand-me-downs.”

“Yeah,” Pidge agreed. “Mom’s been taking me shopping for more girly stuff. She made me box up all of Matt’s old clothes before I left. We’re giving them to charity.”

“Good. No offense, but that ugly turtleneck needed to go.” 

Pidge snickered. “Which proves that Matt is the one with no fashion sense, not me. We’ve grown up a lot since those days.” She stood up. “Let’s get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow.” 

A few minutes later they had turned off the lights and slipped under the covers of Lance’s bed. He stroked her hair as she lay upon his chest.

“This is my favorite time of day,” she admitted.

“Night time?” he asked.

“Snuggle time,” she replied. 

He chuckled. “You’re learning.”

“I’ll miss this.”

“Me too,” he admitted. “I don’t want to go back to my apartment to sleep alone. Waiting for you has been difficult, you know.”

“I appreciate the fact that you’ve waited for me as long as you have,” said Pidge. “Your mother told me all about it.”

“Told you what?” he asked. 

“She said you liked me before...when we were in space.”

“It’s true,” Lance admitted. 

“I thought you liked Allura back then,” Pidge said softly.

“I liked both of you, but over time I started to realize my bond with you was way stronger than anything I ever felt for her, or anyone for that matter. Then my stupid hormones got in the way. I’m sorry, Pidge.”

“For what?”

“For hurting you. I went out with Allura and rushed headlong into a potential relationship that I wasn’t ready for. I acted without thinking and almost made the biggest mistake of my entire life. I’m glad she stopped me from doing something really stupid.”

“We’ve both grown up a lot since then. It’s all in the past.” Pidge pulled away from him so she could look at him. She placed one hand on his cheek as she stared deeply into his eyes. “I was infatuated with you when I was younger, but over time I realized that love is a very different thing. Love is when you care more about the other person’s happiness than your own.”

“I know.” He looked up at her adoringly. “I know what you did when Allura needed a new dress. Romelle told me.”

“It was just a video game,” Pidge blushed. “I didn’t think we’d have time to play it if you had a girlfriend. I never believed that I had a chance with you anyway.”

“You gave up something you really wanted because you thought Allura’s new dress was more important. You thought if I went out with her that she would make me happy.”

“Did she?” Pidge asked. She already knew the answer. 

“No. I made a complete fool out of myself. Allura rejected me after the first date, which is what I deserved. I got really depressed after that, but not because she dumped me. Pidge, It was because I knew I really hurt you when I asked Allura to go out with me, and I hated myself for that.”

“I cried myself to sleep every night on the Atlas,” Pidge admitted as she lay down next to him. “But I thought I was just being selfish.” Her eyes began to water at the memory of it.

Lance rolled on his side and propped himself up on one elbow, appearing visibly distressed at her admission. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that I was such a coward. I should have told you how I really felt—“

“It’s okay.” She silenced him by pressing her fingers to his lips. He kissed her fingertips, her palm, her knuckles, and then held her hand against his heart. 

“I love you,” he assured her. “There’s nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Maybe it’s stupid, but when I found a copy of that game, I knew I had to get it for you. You know the old saying, if you love someone, set them free—“

“And if they come back to you, they’re yours,” she whispered. “I tried to let you go, but—“

“I came back to you, just like that game, Pidge. I’ll always come back if you try to push me away. I’m yours, now and always.” 

“And I’m yours,” she was crying happy tears. “I love you,” she said, her voice cracking. “I love you so much,” Pidge sobbed. 

Lance kissed every one of her tears away before pressing his lips to hers.


	11. January 5 The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge receives the penultimate clue and returns home to the United States with Lance. There’s only one day left until his message will be complete and her life will be changed forever.

Pidge and Lance hugged Maria, Pop Pop, Luis, Lisa, and the children goodbye before Marco drove them to the airport after breakfast. As they sped along the highway, Marco was playing Christmas Music on his car stereo.

“Amara is one of the performers with the Orquesta de Flauta de La Habana,” he explained. “They are really good flautistas, if you like classical music and Latin jazz, you know?”

“They are,” Pidge agreed. She was looking at the tiny display screen that listed the names of the flute players and the selections their ensemble performed. Right when their rendition of “The Twelve Days Of Christmas” began, Lance handed Pidge a little card with a black number 9 on it. The nine stood for the letter “M.” Now the decoded message was

WILL YOU MARRY M-?

Pidge couldn’t hide her smile as she gazed at Lance, whose happiness could not be concealed. He was as certain of her answer as she was certain of the question.

Lance jokingly mouthed the words “no spoilers” at her, and she nodded, then mumbled “eleven pipers piping” as the music played.

“If you want to make a donation to the musicians, the link to their website is at the bottom of the screen,” said Marco.

“Of course,” said Pidge as she scanned the link. “Tell Amara that her group sounds terrific.” Pidge smiled as the link to download their albums appeared on her phone.

She bought several of albums that were advertised, happy to have something new to listen to on the flight home. She and Lance both had their headphones with them, and they ended up listening to all of the recordings on the flight back to the States.

When they listened to the “Los grandes éxitos de Broadway” album, Lance squeezed her hand during the medley from The Phantom Of the Opera.

Pidge felt misty-eyed during that selection. The ensemble was playing “All I Ask Of You.”

Matthew Holt had been waiting for them at the airport when their plane landed. He hugged his sister, then shook hands with Lance.

After helping them load their luggage, Pidge’s laptop bag, and Lance’s guitar case into his vehicle, Matt drove them across the city towards the Garrison’s residential area.

“It looks like you two had a great vacation,” Matt commented.

“We did,” Lance agreed, grinning broadly.

“It was amazing!” Pidge agreed.

“I’ll bet,” said Matt. “Pidge, is that actually a suntan I see?”

“I took her to Varadero,” Lance explained. “My cousin Tania loaned us her beach house for an afternoon so we could go swimming.”

“We went riding in Marco’s convertible,” Pidge added, “and went dancing on New Year’s Eve. I learned about a lot of interesting Cuban New Year’s traditions as well.”

“Pidge helped take care of the animals on my family’s farm, too,” Lance added.

Pidge grinned. “That was fun, especially when we spent some quality time with Kaltenecker.”

“I’m glad you two had a nice time. I know you’re both probably exhausted, but before drop Lance off at his place, Mom and Dad have invited us to have an early supper with them. You two hungry?”

“Yeah,” said Lance. “We haven’t had anything to eat but airplane snacks in the last few hours.”

Sam was waiting for them when they pulled up onto the driveway of the Holt residence. Pidge jumped out of the car and ran to hug her father.

“Katie!” Sam exclaimed as he enveloped his daughter in a warm embrace.

“I had the most amazing time, Dad. I just love Lance’s family!”

“They love her too,” Lance said to Sam, and Pidge’s father embraced him as well, clapping him on the back as he hugged him. “My Mom says she wants us to visit as often as we can.”

Sam looked at his daughter. “Already like one of the family,” he said with a smile.

“It’s only right, sir,” said Lance, blushing. “You’ve been treating me like one of your own, Comm—“

“I told you, when we are off duty, it’s just Sam. None of that Commander Holt nonsense here. And you don’t have to call me ‘sir.’ “

“Yessir,” Lance said, blushing.

“At ease, Captain McClain,” said Sam. Matt laughed at them.

Bae Bae was at the door to greet Pidge, who stopped to hug her beloved pet and scratch her head. “Who’s a good Bae Bae? You are!”

“Katie?”

“Hey, Mom!” Pidge walked to the kitchen to hug her mother. “I’ve got so much to tell you.”

“You can tell us all about it over supper dear,” Colleen said. “Now help me carry some of this into the dining room.”

Supper consisted of Pidge’s favorites: Caesar salad, garlic bread, and Colleen’s famous baked ziti. The Holts wanted to hear all about their daughter’s adventures in Cuba, and their conversation lasted long past the time they had eaten their evening meal. Lance and Pidge didn’t talk about the fact that Pidge broke the coded message before New Year’s Day, or that Lance figured out what she had done not long after that. They also avoided talk concerning their sleeping arrangements or the intimacies the two of them shared. It was difficult for them to avoid those topics, however, and once or twice Pidge could have sworn that she saw her parents exchange knowing glances when either she or Lance said too much. Matt looked as if he couldn’t resist teasing them and that it took all of his self-control not to say anything that would embarrass them.

Matt rolled his eyes and averted his gaze when Lance kissed his little sister goodnight. Pidge laughed at her brother then hugged him goodbye before they left. She knew that Matt was driving Lance back to his small apartment near the Garrison before heading back to his own place. They all had to be up early in the morning to report to work at the base. Pidge yawned as she shut the door. She hugged her parents once more and went upstairs.

After Pidge unpacked her suitcases and put all of her things away, she took a long, hot, fragrant bubble bath. Desert nights were cold in January, so she donned a pair of cozy winter pajamas after her bath. Tomorrow was the big day, and although she was tired from traveling, Pidge was too nervous to sleep. She busied herself with cleaning out her laptop bag and organizing her purse. Tucked into a side pocket of her bag was the church bulletin from San Balthasar’s and the handful of little leaflets that Nadia had handed her after Mass. There were booklets about dating, relationships, and “el sacramento del matrimonio.” One in particular caught her attention: “Lecturas de la Biblia para su boda.” She skimmed it, recognizing many of the familiar Biblical passages that were traditionally read at Catholic weddings. One in particular caught her attention, and she read it in its entirety, easily translating it.

1 Corinthians 13: 1-13

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Pidge recognized the last part of the passage as the quote Nadia’s sign had referenced in the video Lance had sent her with the “three French hens” clucking along with his rendition of “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”

Everything was coming together. All of it made perfect sense now.

Her life would be empty and meaningless without love. Even though she had learned the tongues of men and aliens, had acquired vast scientific knowledge, could fathom many of the great mysteries of the universe, and had endured many trials and hardships during the war, she would be no better than a soulless android without her capacity to love.

And Lance...

He had been so kind to her, and so patient with her social awkwardness and romantic inexperience. As he matured she observed him abandoning his jealousy, pride, and boastfulness. She watched him put childish things behind him and grow into the man that she knew she could trust with her life. Of course, even in his reckless youth, he had always been so protective of her...

“Don’t you touch her!”

That memory resurfaced, as did the memories of all the times he saved her life in battle or shielded her from danger, both with his Lion and with his own body.

Love is what motivated him to do such things, just as love is what gave her the courage to voyage across space into the unknown, vast, most dangerous parts of the universe to find her father and brother. Love was why so many of her friends and allies had died or nearly died to save one another during the war. In the end, the Voltron Coalition had been victorious because of the sacrifices that her friends and allies were willing to make.

Love never fails, she thought.

Pidge now knew what Bible passage she wanted read when she got married, and she knew her husband-to-be would agree with her choice.

Wiping away her happy tears, Pidge turned out the light by her bedside and hugged her pillow, wishing it were Lance sleeping beside her.


	12. January 6 The Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment that Pidge has been waiting for has arrived! But in spite of Pidge breaking the coded message before Lance could finish sending it, Lance still has some very special, unexpected surprises in store for her.

After having breakfast with Matt and her parents, Pidge texted Lance and wondered why he didn’t respond. It wasn’t like him to miss breakfast, even if it was the bland stuff the mess hall served. Strangely enough, Hunk wasn’t around either. She thought he would want to hear all about their vacation in Cuba, but, she supposed, Lance had probably already told him about it.

After spending a very busy morning in her office putting the finishing touches on her presentation for Garrison Tech, Pidge spotted Keith in the corridor near the officers’ lounge just before lunch. He was talking quietly with Shiro.

“Hey, Pidge!” said Keith. “Did you enjoy your vacation?”

“It was wonderful! We had a really great time,” Pidge responded. “I was just wondering, have you guys seen Lance or Hunk?”

“I haven’t seen Lance,” Shiro answered truthfully.

“Hunk is off base today,” said Keith. “He had a special last-minute order placed with his catering business and he wanted to oversee the project in person.”

Pidge nodded.

“Don’t forget about the muster on the parade grounds this afternoon,” Shiro reminded her. “All the cadets will be there for second semester orientation before classes resume tomorrow.”

“Right. And because he’s an instructor, Lance has to be there,” said Pidge. “Thanks, guys.”

Pidge had lunch with her family, Shiro, Keith, and Veronica that day.

“Do you have any idea where Lance is?” she asked his eldest sister.

“I think he had some personal business to attend to,” said Veronica. “He said he’d be back for orientation this afternoon. The cadets just moved back into their dorms this morning, so this is a really busy time for him.”

“I know,” said Pidge. “Classes resume tomorrow.” She tried to hide her disappointment that Lance wasn’t there to have lunch with her.

Wearing her winter uniform coat, gloves, and beret with her standard technical sergeant’s uniform, Pidge stood at attention with the rest of the officers, enlisted, and cadets during muster. After the singing of the Galactic Alliance’s anthem, there were brief speeches, an impressive presentation by the rifle drill team, and finally a rousing performance by the Garrison’s military band. Lance was nowhere in sight. She frowned as the band marched and played with perfect precision. Where could he be?

The dozen members of the Garrison’s drum line were featured in a series of intricate maneuvers which demonstrated an even more complex command of rhythmic precision. Pidge was so enthralled by the performance that she didn’t even notice when a tall officer stepped forward to stand next to her. It was Lance!

She dared to steal a glance at him as they stood at attention during the performance. He slipped a card into her gloved hand, and she hastily hid it in her coat pocket. Twelve drummers drumming, she thought. Of course!

Everyone applauded at the end of the performance, and when the drum line played their parade cadence once more, each cadet drill sergeant marched his or her unit back to their dormitories.

“Read the card,” Lance said, then gave her a snappy salute, followed by a very non-regulation flirtatious wink and a sexy, lopsided grin. He turned on his heel and followed the other instructors back to the Academy before she could even ask what was going on.

On the card was printed a number 16 in blue ink, followed by a question mark. Her heart raced. His coded message was complete, but he didn’t even give her time to answer the question. She turned the card over, noticing that there was more writing on the back of it.

MEET ME AT THE STAR-WATCHING ROCK AT SUNDOWN. BRING YOUR HEADPHONES.

Headphones? The star-watching rock?

Then she remembered one of the most important nights of her life, the night that they found Blue Lion in that mysterious cave in the desert...

“Do you come here to rock out?” He had unexpectedly surprised her by sneaking up on her and asking her that question.

“Oh! I’m just...you know...just looking at the stars,” she said, trying to make up an excuse for what she was doing out of her dormitory after curfew and in possession of some pretty high-tech listening equipment. She blushed at the memory of it, remembering how incredibly difficult it was to pretend to be a boy named Pidge Gunderson.

It was even more difficult to hide how awkward and flustered she had always felt when he was near her, and much to her delight and dismay, he was near her quite a lot when they were teenagers. He was always touching her, slinging an arm around her shoulders, or just leaning over her shoulder, watching what she was doing and asking questions. Maybe, he liked her even then, at the beginning of their adventures, before he was even consciously aware of it.

She would definitely meet him at sundown at the “star-watching rock,” as he referred to it.

Pidge told her parents that she would be with Lance that evening, and insisted that they should go on and have supper without her. As soon as she clocked out that afternoon, she changed into the stylish-but-casual civilian clothes she had packed in her duffel bag for this particular occasion. She even put on a little makeup, then set out for the long hike to the place only the two of them (and Hunk) would know about.

She sat there, waiting for him, as the sun sank lower on the horizon, bathing the desert sands in hues of violet, rose, orange, and gold. She realized that Lance’s admiration for beautiful sunsets was not without merit. It was nearly as breathtaking as the sunset at Varadero.

Her phone pinged, and when she looked at it, the number “23” filled up her screen, black against a plain white background.

“W,” she typed on the touchscreen’s keypad.

“6” appeared next.

“I” she answered.

“12” and then another “12,” both in blue.

“L” she typed, then another “L” was her response.

A photo of her appeared on screen next. This time it was one he took of her at the New Year’s festival in Cuba. Below the photo were the numbers 25-10-21.

“Y-O-U” was her response.

“9” appeared in black.

“M”

“13” in blue was next.

“A”

“18” and another “18” appeared.

“R” and “R” she responded.

“25”

“Y”

This was followed by a black “9” and a blue “16” then a question mark.

“ME?” was her answer, then she typed “25” in black, “16” in blue, and “19” in black, followed by an exclamation point.

There was no answer for a long moment, and then there was another message on her screen. “Put your headphones on and press play.”

Pidge sat down in the very same spot where, several years before, she used to set up her computer and her miniature radio telescope when she was scanning the skies for alien radio chatter, hoping to find some clue as to what had happened to her missing father and brother. She put on her headphones and tapped the link that Lance had sent her. First, she heard the sound of an acoustic guitar and she immediately recognized Lance’s playing. Then she heard him singing the ending of one of her favorite songs.

“Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime  
Let me lead you from your solitude  
Say you need me with you, here beside you  
Anywhere you go, let me go too  
Katie, that's all I ask of you.”

Her cheeks were wet with tears. She listened, trying to sob as quietly as she could.

“Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime  
Say the word and I will follow you  
Share each day with me  
Each night, each morning  
Say you love me  
You know I do  
Love me, that's all I ask of you.”

Pidge was wiping her eyes on her sleeve. This was too much. It was finally happening, and it was more happiness than she could handle.

“Anywhere you go let me go too,” he sang with emotion, just as the sun set.  
“Love me, that's all I ask of you.” The song ended with softly strummed chords that faded away into silence.

“Beautiful,” she murmured, not realizing she had said it aloud.

Pidge just sat there for a long moment, wiping her eyes and smiling to herself as the stars began to shine in the twilight sky. She played the song again, singing softly to herself as she waited.

“YOU COME HERE TO ROCK OUT?!” He said loudly as he lifted one of her earpieces away.

Pidge’s eyes widened as she yelped in surprise. Lance laughed at her, and she laughed with him. She should have known he would do something like that to her.

“Come here,” he said, and he offered her a hand to help her to her feet. “I want to show you something.” He led her to the edge of the mesa and pointed to a very bright light near the horizon. “Do you see that?”

“There’s a planetary conjunction visible tonight,” Pidge said. “Much like the Star Of Bethlehem planetary conjunction that guided the Magi on their journey to find the Christ Child. That’s Venus, over there, near the horizon, and— “

Lance squeezed her hand to get her attention. With his free hand, he drew a small box from the pocket of his leather jacket and handed it to her.

“I have one more gift to give you,” he said quietly.

“For Christmas?” she asked, noticing the bright wrapping on the box. She pulled at the shiny cord that held it together.

“No,” he replied.

“For Epiphany, then?” she asked as she pulled the shiny golden paper off and tucked the wrappings into her pocket.

“Not exactly,” he said with a subtle smile.

“Well, It’s too early for a birthday present,” she began as she opened the cardboard box to reveal a ring box inside of it. Lance took the ring box from her and opened it, revealing a delicate ring with a stone made of the same rare blue-green crystal gem as her necklace.

“I’m giving you the gift of a lifetime,” he said, removing the ring from the box. “Yours. Mine. Ours.” He went down on one knee.

“Katie Holt, will you marry me?”

She was crying again. “Yes,” she sobbed. “Yes times infinity,” she said as he slipped the ring on her finger.

Lance stood up and she embraced him, sobbing tears of joy against his chest.

“Pidge,” he began. “You know I’m not very good at math. What does ‘yes times infinity’ mean?”

“A ‘yes’ that goes on forever,” she said, looking up at him.

“Oh. Well, I love you times infinity,” he said. She saw that his cheeks glistened with happy tears as well. He cupped her cheek to wipe one of her tears away with his thumb. He appeared happier than she had ever seen him look, and her heart beat faster because she knew that she was the reason why.

“I love you, too,” she replied. “Times infinity.”

Lance kissed her beneath the canopy of stars, and as she melted into his embrace, Pidge felt that, in that brief shining moment, all was well with the universe. She kissed him back with a fierce passion as he embraced her, and then kissed him softly, with a lingering, gentle affection before they finally broke apart.

“I have another surprise for you,” said Lance, “I want to take you somewhere special for dinner tonight.”

“Where?”

“A place you haven’t been before. You’ll love it, I promise.”

She smiled up at him. “Then lead the way.”

They drove from the base, past his apartment building, and into the suburbs until they came to her neighborhood.

“You missed the turn. My parents’ house is— “

“Back there. I know. But we aren’t going to their house. We’re going to ours,” he said with a grin.

“Ours?” Pidge asked as they pulled up to the house on the corner of Pioneer Street and Voyager Avenue.

“It’s not furnished yet, of course. But the water and electricity are turned on and— “

“Our house?! How did you manage to make the down payment?” Pidge gaped at the enormous two-story home. How could Lance have possibly had enough money to pay for the ring and all of this too?

“Remember that contract we signed with the Legendary Defenders movie producers?”

“Yes, but wait a minute! There was a clause in the contract about us getting a tiny percentage of the box office receipts.” Her eyes widened as she did some quick calculations. “Did we just get our first royalty check?”

“Have you checked your bank balance lately? That movie about us is the number one movie of the year. We’re going to be really well off for a long time to come, though I don’t think either of us will want to quit working just yet.”

They sat there in his parked car as she tried to process everything.

“Then why did you have to sell your baseball memorabilia, your Mercury Gameflux II, and your jacket?”

“Well, at the time, that Unilu trader demanded payment up front and the necklace and the ring were a set you see, and uh, well, all I had was what I saved from my junior flight instructor’s salary.” He blushed at that admission. “I didn’t have enough money, so I sold whatever I had of value to make the down payment. He let me buy the pendant, but I had to pay him installments with interest to pay for the ring. I really needed that promotion at work, and I don’t think I could have gotten it without your help. Even with the extra income, I could barely afford afford to pay him off.” 

Pidge fingered her necklace. “But you gave me this pendant for Valentine’s Day last year,” she said in amazement. “You’ve been planning this for a long time, haven’t you?”

He grinned slyly at her. “Yup. That’s me, Lance, the King of Romance!”

She grinned and shook her head in amazement. “Well, let’s not just sit here. I want to see our castle, Your Majesty.” They got out of the car.

“Right this way, O Queen of My Heart,” he said jokingly as he bowed to her. She did a mock curtsy and then offered him her hand.

They walked up to the front door, and then Lance withdrew a key from his pocket to unlock it.

It was dark inside, and for a moment Pidge was afraid that they weren’t alone...

“SURPRISE!” shouted a group of about twenty-five people. The lights came on suddenly to reveal a living room and dining area with tables and chairs from Hunk’s catering business. Pidge saw that her family, her teammates, her friends from the Garrison, Lance’s sisters, Coran, Romelle, and Shay were all there. Then she noticed that there was a view screen on the living room wall with a live feed from Cuba. Lance’s parents, Luis, Lisa, the children, Marco, Amara, and Tania had all gathered in the McClain’s living room to celebrate with them. All of them were cheering and applauding.

A huge banner with the words “CONGRATULATIONS LANCE AND PIDGE!” on it was stretched across the wall of the dining area, and there were blue and green balloons everywhere.

“I knew it! Oh, I just knew she’d say yes!” That was Allura.

“Oooh, let’s see the ring,” said Romelle.

“Show us the ring, Pidge!” Nadia Rizavi exclaimed.

“It’s gorgeous!” That was Rachel, who, Pidge later fond out, had been staying at Veronica’s Place after her interview in Texas.

“Lance must have paid a fortune for that,” Veronica remarked.

“Oh, it changes color like your necklace,” Shay observed.

“It’s beautiful,” said Ina.

”It is,” agreed Pidge. I am going to ask all of them to be my bridesmaids, she thought. Seven of them! Well, she knew that Lance could come up with seven groomsmen easily, with their brothers, their teammates, and friends for him to choose from. A decade earlier, Katie Holt, the lonely nerdy outcast who was bullied in school all the time, never would have imagined having so many friends, much less a fiancée.

They were suddenly surrounded by so many loved ones at once that Pidge could hardly take it all in.

Her father was hugging Lance as her mother held her tightly. “I am so happy for you, dear.”

“You and Dad knew about this, didn’t you?” Pidge asked.

“Of course they did,” said Matt as he hugged his sister. “We all knew it was only a matter of time.”

Keith grimaced as Shiro patted Lance on the back. “You better treat her right—“ Keith began in a mock-threatening voice.

“Don’t worry, Keith,” said Matt jokingly. “Dad, Shiro, and I had the shovel talk with him as soon as they started dating.”

Everyone laughed at that. They laughed again as Hunk, who was still wearing the apron advertising his business, hugged Lance and Pidge at the same time and effortlessly lifted both of them off of the floor.

“Hey, everybody,” Lance began as Hunk finally set them down, “Hunk’s gonna be my best man!” There were more cheers at this announcement.

The food was amazing, and all of the party guests showered Hunk, Romelle, and Shay with praise for the meal they had prepared. Pidge, her family, Lance, and his sisters sat at the table nearest the flat screen and conversed with Lance’s family in Cuba. (Hunk had “Vrepit Sal” himself deliver a gourmet meal to the farmhouse.) Little Nadia had her face near the camera and looked directly at Pidge.

“This is so exciting!” the little girl exclaimed. “You’re going to be my Aunt Pidge for real now!”

“That’s right. And you and Silvio get to be in the wedding, too. I want you to be my flower girl, Nadia.”

“And Silvio can be the ring bearer,” Lance added.

“It’s going to be a lovely wedding, and Katie will be a beautiful bride,” said Maria.

“I’ll drink to that,” her father said, raising his glass of champagne. “A toast to the future bride and groom!”

They all raised their glasses.

“To Lance and Pidge!” Sam exclaimed.

After the toast, Nadia Rizavi stood up. “Attention, everyone! Kinkade and I have a special presentation for you. Everyone, please direct your attention towards the view screen.” She nodded towards Ryan Kinkade who started the film. Lance’s family members in Cuba were watching with them as well.

The video began with Garrison’s drumline playing a parade cadence in front of the band as they marched in step. The drummers played a roll off, and the band began playing a very familiar tune.

Matt appeared in close-up as if taking a selfie as the band marched behind him. He sang, “On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me—twelve drummers drumming—“ The drummers played a quick tattoo, then the video segued to a clip from Cuba.

Marco, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the old red convertible surrounded by beautiful women, was on camera next. He sang, “eleven pipers piping—“ while Amara and the other members of the Orquesta de Flauta de La Habana played a quick trill on their flutes.

Next on the view screen was Silvio, who sang, “ten frogs a-leaping!”

Nadia, who was standing next to him interrupted the song by correcting him, “It’s supposed to be ‘lords,’ Silvio.”

Silvio, held up his prize-winning frog, “His name is Lord Calaveras. Does that count?”

(The assembled party guests laughed at that exchange.)

Then there was a swirl of color, which was revealed to be the costumes worn by the women at Tania’s studio as they twirled around and sang, “Nine ladies dancing!” Tania blew a kiss at the camera.

“Eight maids a-milking,” sang Nadia, Rachel, and the women who worked at the dairy. Kaltenecker mooed loudly before there was a quick cut to a picturesque view of the pond on the McClain farm.

“Seven swans a-swimming,” sang Luis and Lisa. The camera showed the two adult swans with their five little cygnets swimming behind them.

Then Veronica appeared with an egg basket.

“Six geese a-laying,” she sang, surrounded by six mother geese and yard full of hatchlings.

Then the music slowed down dramatically. The camera panned slowly from the sky to the ground to show Coran, Shiro, Keith, Allura, and Hunk in front of the local movie theater, which had the same holographic display as the theater in Cuba.

“Five Paladins!” They sang as they gestured to the the huge golden hoops that projected likenesses of the actors who starred in the Legendary Defenders movie.

“I thought it was supposed to be five golden rings,” complained Hunk.

There was more laughter at this, then the music resumed its former quick tempo.

From their screened porch, Pop Pop and Maria sang, “four calling birds—“ as the cockatiel whistled the tune with them and the parakeets bobbed their heads in time to the music. Wingman abruptly flew off camera.

And then, from the yard by the chicken coop Rachel added, “three French hens—“ as her chickens clucked in the background.

“Two turtle doves,” sang Sam and Colleen from Pidge’s room. Her mother was holding up the ceramic figurine.

Then finally Lance appeared onscreen. He was about to wrap a gift that he held up for the camera. It was a small Christmas ornament.

“And a pigeon in a pear tree!” he sang, then smirked.

Rachel’s voice was heard off camera, “It’s supposed to be a partridge, Lance.”

There was more laughter at that.

Wingman landed on Lance’s shoulder.

“True love!” said the grey parrot.

“That’s right,” Lance agreed with the bird. He grinned broadly and handed wingman a treat. “I love you, Katie Holt. Loving you is my greatest joy, and being loved by you has made me the happiest man in the Universe. You’re my happily ever after, Pidge.”

“Pretty bird,” said Wingman.

“She’s a human, not a bird,” Lance said to Wingman.

“Pretty lady,” Wingman corrected himself.

“Yes, she is. You know that last part wasn’t in the script, but since I know everyone watching this is enjoying the fact that I’m being upstaged by a parrot, I’m just going to roll with it.”

“Birdbrain,” said Wingman.

“Hey! Did you teach him to say that?” Lance asked Rachel.

“No. He figured it out on his own,” said Rachel from behind the camera.

The end credits rolled with a montage of behind-the-scenes footage and outtakes, along with the photos Lance had taken of them in Cuba. 

There was thunderous applause at the conclusion of the video.

“That was a masterpiece!” Coran exclaimed, wiping his eyes.

Pidge looked at Ryan Kinkade and Nadia Rivazi. “Thank you so much for this,” she began.

“I only made the background track for them,” said Ryan. “Rivazi did the editing, and Rachel, Veronica, and Matt did most of the camera work.”

“Lance wrote the script, of course,” said Rizavi. “It was his directing debut as well.”

Everyone stood up and applauded, then the guests began to disperse. Nadia, Ina, James, and Ryan helped Shay and Romelle clean the tables and pack the catering van which had just pulled up in the driveway. The android driver had parked it around the block with everyone else’s vehicles.

Lance had his arm around his fiancée. “I hope you liked it.” He gave her shoulders a little squeeze.

“I loved it!” Pidge exclaimed. “The video, the proposal, the vacation, all of it—it’s been amazing. Thank you.” Happy tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. “I love you so much,” she said softly.

“I love you too,” said Lance. “This has been the happiest day of my life, you know that?” From the sound of his voice, Pidge knew that he was as emotionally overwhelmed as she was. There were murmurs from their loved ones, then another spontaneous burst of applause.

“Congratulations again, you two,” said Keith with a smile.

“I’m truly happy for you,” said Allura her voice cracking a little. She was misty eyed as she hugged them both in turn.

Shiro squeezed Lance’s shoulder, and then hugged Pidge. “You two deserve every happiness,” he said. “I am so proud of you both.”

Then she and Lance were swept up in another bone crushing hug from Hunk, who was sobbing loudly. They needed no words as the three of them embraced. When Hunk finally regained his composure he said, “l love you guys!”

”We love you, too, man,” said Lance.

”Thank you for the incredible meal,” Pidge added. “It was amazing, as always, just like the chef.” And with that, she stood on tiptoe and kissed Hunk’s cheek. He blushed adorably.

”No more of that, young lady,” said Hunk. “I don’t want the groom to get jealous.”

They laughed together about that, and Hunk gave them another quick hug and left with his catering crew.

When everyone else had gone, Lance and Pidge stayed behind. He gave her a grand tour of the big, empty house. Pidge scanned every room with her phone and took lots of pictures.

“We’re going to have so much fun painting this place and buying furniture,” Lance said happily as they toured the upstairs bedrooms.

“I know. This house is perfect in every way.”

“Come on, There’s one more part of the house I want to show you— the master bedroom suite.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you put a lot of thought into what will go on in that part of the house,” she teased.

Lance blushed, but said nothing.

The walk-in closet was enormous and the room could easily accommodate a king-sized bed, dresser, and vanity.

When Pidge commented on going shopping for a bigger bed than the one they slept in in Cuba, Lance replied, “Even if we buy a bigger bed, I know you would rather snuggle up close to me and fall asleep in my arms.” He slung one arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

She smiled up at him. “You’re probably going to buy fancy sheets and scatter rose petals all over the place, and maybe leave a gourmet chocolate on my pillow every night or something.”

“Maybe.” Lance looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked, “Do you really want to know what I’m thinking about right now?”

Pidge lifted her eyebrows at him, then smirked at him. “No spoilers.”

The sound of their laughter echoed through the empty room. When Lance leaned down to kiss her, Pidge realized that although the Tweleve Days of Christmas had come to an end, this day was only the beginning of a lifetime of happiness with the man she loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “All I Ask Of You” is from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, and it is often performed at weddings.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first complete multichapter fic. I approached writing it as I would approach writing a short novel. There’s foreshadowing, symbolism, and lots of hidden meanings to decipher that go far beyond the code that Pidge is determined to break.
> 
> Kudos are great, but if you really enjoyed reading this story, please leave a comment on each chapter. I would appreciate that very much, and I will respond to your feedback. 
> 
> Share this fic on Tumblr, Discord, or wherever you share your love of our fandom. Even though I wrote this story for the VLD Secret Santa Event, I want it to be a holiday gift to our fandom at large. Merry Christmas, Plance shippers!


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